Hate That I Love You
by peach83
Summary: It seemed so simple. In return for her ancestral house sold by her scheming friends, Heather agreed to fake-marry Hollywood playgirl Naya Rivera and stay married for a year to tone down the actress' notoriety. Until real feelings got involved.
1. Prologue

**HATE THAT I LOVE YOU**

by peach83

A/N: A fanfic based on a Korean tv show. This is Full House, HeYa style. This RPF is also AU.

DISCLAIMER: I wish I own Naya, but she belongs to Hemo (I wish ;-)). Everything in this story is all made up. I don't own Full House either, just borrowing the concept because I think it's one of the best.

I repeat, all made up. I don't know the characters personally and I know nothing about their life. Except that they have amazing chemistry (yes, HeYa, you). Disclaimer applies to all chapters. Written for entertainment (and shipping) purposes only.

SUMMARY: Naya Rivera, notorious Hollywood playgirl, has had her share of scandals in the past. She moves into a picturesque house on the outskirts of Los Angeles, which she bought on impulse. It happened to carry something else with it though—a blonde-hair blue-eyed writer that turns her life (her heart, most especially) upside down.

Heather's scheming friends had sold her house. In order to get it back, she agreed to fake-marry Hollywood playgirl Naya Rivera for a year to help the actress tone down her notorious reputation. It _seemed_ so simple. Complications arise as real feelings get involved.

**PROLOGUE**

"_I'll give you this house back, if it means that much you. After all, it is your parents' home. You grew up here." The striking brunette sounded patronizing as she looked intently at the blonde, both of them standing in her bedroom. _

_Naya didn't get an answer right away. She held the reproachful look being thrown her way by the not-so-pleased Heather Morris._

"_What's the catch?" Heather didn't even bother to hide the distrust in her voice. _

_They were back at Heather's home, well, now Naya's home, trying to stare each other down. Everything happened so fast. She still couldn't process the events that took place earlier at the party. The party hadn't even reached its peak when they had to leave. She had yet to meet agents and moviemakers whom she hoped could help her with her writing career, when all of a sudden, she was caught in a frenzy of flashing lights, and in a liplock with no other than Hollywood's notorious playgirl, Naya Rivera. _

_She had no idea how they escaped the mob of paparazzi. It was all a haze to her, but she remembered being outside the office of Naya's agent and friend, Kevin McHale, listening to their loud voices as they argued. Amber Riley, Naya's manager, was also there. And now she found herself here, negotiating with the actress, so that she could get her house back. It wasn't cheap. So she couldn't help but feel apprehensive as to what Naya would ask her to do in return._

"_Marry me."_

_Heather's eyes widened. If she'd been drinking anything, she would've died choking. _

"_Excuse me?" The blonde managed to squeak out after her shock. The proposal was anything but romantic. It was spoken in the most nonchalant tone possible. She didn't know whether to be flattered or angry. _

_Naya made it sound like it was an ordinary thing for her. Did marriage mean nothing to the brunette at all? _

_Naya rolled her eyes at the blonde's reaction. _

"_I said, let's get married."_

"_Are you high?" It was the craziest suggestion she'd ever heard. They kissed. That definitely didn't mean they had to marry each other. Where was this even coming from?_

"_Do you want your house back or not?" The brunette was clearly starting to get annoyed when she didn't get the response she wanted. Her impatience clear in the tone of her voice. _

"_The answer to that question is easy. I don't understand why you're talking about marriage with me though." _

"_Hollywood exploded with the news of our engagement tonight. Haven't you heard?"_

"_Engagement?"_

"_Thanks for wearing my engagement ring when I told you to leave it alone, by the way", came brunette's acerbic response. This situation was really frustrating for her. Sure, it was her fault that they got the attention of every news/gossip crew and paparazzi at the party when she kissed Heather out of nowhere to get out of a certain situation. But there wouldn't have been any mention of an engagement if it weren't for Heather's foolishness. She wore the ring, meant for Dianna, that Naya had thrown away two days ago. _

"_Oh, so you're blaming me, then? You **kissed** me." Heather's thoughts went back to what happened at the party, and now, just couldn't believe the shameless proposition. How could someone propose marriage that easily? _

"_You enjoyed it." Naya shrugged with a self-satisfied look on her face. Heather couldn't help but roll her eyes. Sure, Naya's plump lips were way beyond kissable and she had thought about kissing Naya before—just to know how it would feel. But her annoyance with Naya's over-the-top narcissism still trumped the physical attraction._

"_Your ego seems to occupy the biggest portion of your brain."_

"_Look, I've been involved in too many scandals this year and my PR is on my ass telling me that it's a bit too much, even for me."_

"_I'm sorry, but I think I missed the part that involves me."_

"_We're engaged. Or at least that's what people are thinking now. The gossip sites are already making up polls asking fans to vote how long they think I could last before I actually call off the engagement. I'm not going to give them that satisfaction."_

"_Why not tell the world the truth?"_

"_Explaining that kiss and how that ring found its way to your finger would be tricky. And I don't think that would help diffuse the situation. And if you think that telling people about my failed proposal to Dianna would be the solution, you must be delusional."_

"_If you really wanted to propose to her, why didn't you? She might have said yes."_

"_She doesn't love me that way." _

Dianna was in love with Mark. She had been for a very long time. 

_Naya let out a defeated sigh. _

"_I'm sick of the scandals. I'm sick of the bad publicity. Half of them may be true but I'm not all that bad. I'm not as notorious as they make me out to be."_

"_I don't see how marriage would help you. Or me, for that matter." Observant blue eyes remained fixed on the brunette, who seemed resigned to the idea of marriage._

"_We'll let people believe that we're in love with each other and we'll live in this house together. They'd think I'd gone soft since I'm finally settling down."_

"_But I don't even like you and I can't stand you." _

"_I'm an actress and a good one at that. I don't think you're that bad."_

"_Are you trying to get into my pants, Rivera? Divas are not really my type."_

"_Don't flatter yourself because I don't care much about you either. There's not going to be any funny business, we'll just pretend. We'll even have separate rooms. If you can do that for a year, then I'll give you this house back. No questions asked." Brown eyes remained unblinking, locked with a pair of blues, expecting a response. _

_The proposal earned the actress a wary and suspicious look from the blonde, so she continued. _

"_One year and then we'll get a divorce. I'll give you this house back as alimony. I'll move out and disappear from your life forever. All you have to do is say yes."_

"_That's tempting, but I don't really trust you." Blue eyes narrowed at Naya. _

"_I guess the feeling is mutual. But since we've already gotten ourselves into this mess, we might as well go all out, for both our benefits. It's a win-win situation." _

"_Correction, **you** got us into this."_

_Heather crossed her arms, her mind going through the advantages and disadvantages of marrying Naya Rivera and staying with her for a year. _

_Getting her parents' house back doesn't sound so bad. She wouldn't have to pay a cent and her house wasn't exactly cheap. It'd probably take her more than ten years to pay for it, and she was sure Naya wasn't interested in selling it back to her anyway._

_Besides, being 'married' to a Hollywood A-lister with big connections might help with her writing career. _

_Also, she might actually be able to help the infamous playgirl. _

"_What would your agent say when we finally get a divorce?" Heather asked. Naya was apparently doing this for her career and her image. But what would happen after the divorce?_

"_I'm sure Kevin would find a way to make me look like a heartbroken divorcee and work it to my benefit."_

"_I need a contract." _

"_Contract?"_

"_I need proof."_

"_Proof?"_

"_I need a black and white document that this set-up will be over in a year and that you wouldn't go back on your promise."_

"_Like I'd stay married to you beyond that period, anyways. I'd barely survive one year!" Naya rolled her eyes at the blonde._

"_This isn't really the time for insults, Naya." Blue eyes narrowed with a warning at the actress. _

"_Fine. Make a contract. I don't care... Just don't fall in love with me." Naya crossed her arms. _

"_Me, falling in love with you? Do you even hear yourself?"_

"_I saw you checking me out at that party."_

"_Ugh, you're insufferable!" Heather felt her face burning in embarrassment having been caught. She wouldn't admit to it anyway. She caught a lopsided smirk forming on Naya's face. Oh how she wanted to wipe the smugness off that gorgeous brunette. _

"_Just make the damn contract, will you?" _

As Heather affixed her signature to the contract she drafted (with an addendum that the contract would be null and void upon discovery by a third person) her eyes fell on the person sitting across from her, busy signing her name. And for a brief moment, Heather recalled how she got into this situation with the Hollywood playgirl in the first place.

She reminded herself of her plans to hunt Harry and Jenna after this. Because if her supposed friends hadn't conned her, her house would still be hers, she would still have a place to live, and she wouldn't have to sell her soul to the _great _Naya Rivera.

Asian Fusion was so going to pay for this.

But first, we go back to where this all began…


	2. Attractions, Distractions

**HATE THAT I LOVE YOU**

A/N(peach83): A fanfic based on a Korean tv show. This is Full House, HeYa style. To my editor, KAPAOWIE, thanks so much for taking time out of your flailing moment to work on this chapter. Hahaha.

And to my previous reviewer who read Little Feeling, FRENCHY, I am not European. ;-)

Thanks guys for reading the reviewing my Brittana fic, Little Feeling.

DISCLAIMER: I wish I own Naya, but she belongs to Hemo. I don't own Full House either, just borrowing the concept because I think it's one of the best.

**CHAPTER 1**

_**ATTRACTIONS, DISTRACTIONS**_

It wasn't her first time flying, but she sure as hell wasn't feeling right about it.

Heather Morris sat by the window, first-class, on a plane bound for Hawaii, waiting for take-off. It wasn't her idea, but somehow her friends, Harry and Jenna, convinced her to get out of town. Maybe they had a point. She did need some time away to clear her head and get over her writer's block; and spending some time in a new place might help her get some perspective. However, she couldn't help but be suspicious, especially when they paid for her plane ticket and arranged her hotel accommodations.

First of all, those two brought nothing in her life but trouble. And second, it was the first time they really thought of Heather's (or her career's) welfare.

Trying to relax, Heather picked up the copy of that day's LA Times, turned the pages to the entertainment section, and snorted upon seeing the bold letters pertaining to that notorious Hollywood playgirl dominating that section again, seen recently with her 'flavor of the week'. Some people just didn't know how easy they had it.

Heather stared at the beautiful picture of the movie star printed on the newspaper. She was undeniably gorgeous and was an amazing actress. She heard the girl sing a couple of times on a TV show, which the actress was once a part of before she shot to fame; and she was flawless. Looking into striking brown eyes as if the actress was staring back at her, Heather couldn't understand how this girl could be so uncontrollable and careless as to let herself get involved in so many Hollywood scandals that would have buried her career six feet under, if it weren't for her natural talent.

It was unbelievable how Naya Rivera managed to keep her career afloat after she came out, and with those nasty break-ups and meaningless flings sensationalized in the tabloids and internet gossip sites.

Well, scandalous or not, she had to admit, she'd definitely want the Latina in her screenplay, that is, if she actually gets to write one. She was stuck at the moment, thus, the Hawaii trip. Since she was young, she had always dreamt of becoming a writer. She thought of her late father, how he would smile when one of her scripts would turn into a movie. The thought of him made her smile.

One day, she's going to make him proud.

With the newspaper still in her hands, the blonde writer made herself more comfortable in the plush chair. It wasn't everyday that she got to travel first-class, after all.

Heather was immersed in her reading when somebody took the aisle seat beside her. The first thing that got her attention was the whiff of expensive feminine perfume, which forced her to tear herself from her reading, and be mesmerized by a pair of mocha orbs, staring back at her.

For a moment, their eyes locked.

She felt her heart stop.

Heather had never seen anyone so stunningly beautiful in her life. When she allowed herself to blink, the brown eyes were focused somewhere else, and the blonde writer found herself staring at the astonishing right profile of no other than-

Her eyes snapped back to the paper she was holding, turned the pages back to the entertainment section that she had been reading a while ago, examined the picture of the actress, and then looked back at the incredibly fragrant and dazzling woman now sitting beside her.

_Fuck._

Naya Rivera was right next to her, totally oblivious to the hyperventilating blonde gawking at her. The newspaper photo did not give the brunette justice at all. The actress was a hundred times more beautiful in person. And she didn't even have make-up on. Sensing that she was being stared at, the actress turned her head towards Heather and caught the blonde's eyes locked at the sight of her lips.

Annoyed at the blatant ogling, the brunette did not bother to hide the frown that formed on her face.

"Can I help you with something?"

The blonde almost fainted as she watched plump lips move as if in slow motion, without really hearing the words that came out of them.

The brunette actress rolled her eyes at the lack of response. She was used to people gaping at her, but this one's just making her feel too self-conscious. The look on the blonde's face was almost funny. Naya would have laughed at the girl's open-mouthed leering, but it wasn't a good day for her and she just wasn't in the mood. She decided to ignore the blonde and just listen to her iPod.

The voice of a flight attendant on the speakers giving out instructions before take-off broke Heather out of her trance. Her ears immediately turned red after she realized what she had been doing. She cleared her throat and tried to act nonchalant with her recent fangirling. She shook her head at herself in disbelief; she was never the one to fangirl.

_But damn those lips. _

Heather heaved a sigh. She was tempted to catch a glimpse of those lips again, but restrained herself. Instead, she leaned back and closed her eyes, if only to quell the sudden and strange feeling of butterflies in her stomach.

This was going to be one long flight.

Thirty minutes into the flight, Heather was snoring lightly. Naya grudgingly pulled the earphones off and turned to give the blonde a piece of her mind, but before she could open her mouth and throw daggers at her direction, she stopped.

As though she had suddenly forgotten, her annoyance and without any idea of what possessed her to actually stare, she found that the blonde sleeping next to her was actually beautiful. Had she met her in a club, Naya would have flirted with her and taken her home. But the player part of her seemed to have taken a day off, which is a very rare occasion.

The last thing she needed was another blonde to turn her life upside down.

Averting her eyes away from the sleeping blonde, her thoughts went back to the last conversation she had with her childhood friend, Dianna, before her flight to Hawaii. She could still hear Dianna's sweet voice in her head so she closed her eyes, forcing herself to sleep.

It didn't work though.

_Naya was standing in front of a large mirror inside Dianna Agron's shop, inspecting the dress that her young designer friend made for her. The blonde was not famous yet, but she was getting there, thanks to Naya who chose to wear her designs to every big Hollywood event she had to attend. _

"_You're stunning."_

_The actress blushed at the compliment and tried to avoid looking at hazel eyes staring at her through the mirror, silently wishing that Dianna was too busy assessing her creation to notice it. _

"_Tell me something I don't know." She stepped away from the mirror, looking satisfied at the look her childhood friend suggested she wear to her Saturday Night Live stint to be taped tomorrow. _

"_Always the confident one, NayNay." Dianna chuckled while shaking her head. _

"_I've got to be. It's a tough Hollywood world, baby girl." Naya went to the black leather couch in the waiting area of Dianna's shop, with the blonde in tow. She flopped herself onto the cushiony seat, making herself comfortable. _

_Dianna sat down on the couch next to her. _

"_Hey." Dianna playfully kicked Naya's right foot._

"_What?" The actress feigned annoyance._

"_Who was that girl you were photographed with last week?" Dianna wiggled her eyebrows at her friend, who was now looking very flustered. _

"_No one." She replied in a dismissive tone. _

"_Well, 'no one' actually looks like someone I know… Ashley Benson?" The designer bumped her shoulder against Naya, who had been trying her best not to look at Dianna. _

_Naya just shrugged._

"_I didn't know you were dating her." _

"_We're not dating." Naya grumbled. Embarrassed, she took out her iPhone and pretended to be texting, hoping Dianna would just drop the topic. _

"_Oh, you're not? Too bad. I like her." Dianna sounded genuinely disappointed. _

But I like you. _Naya thought._

"_You know, one day you're going to have to stop flirting around. I want you to have a real girlfriend. Someone who can make you smile. I don't want you getting lonely." The blonde reached to tuck the stray hair on Naya's face. The back of Dianna's right hand grazed Naya's right cheek, making the brunette feel like it was burning. _

"_You make me smile. Would you be my girlfriend then?" Naya smiled, half-joking and half-meaning it. Who knows, maybe Dianna would say yes._

_That was wishful thinking, of course. _

"_If I was a lesbian, I'd date you first. You know that, NayNay." _

"_I'm just going to have to wait for you then. You can always be one of them late-in-life gays." She winked at Dianna. _

_Dianna laughed and smacked her playfully in the arm._

"_You're so funny. By the way, Meg called me yesterday. She wanted to make sure that we're still doing that annual New Year's Eve party at Valencia." _

"_It's only August." Naya just had to frown. _

"_She's that excited to see the whole Motley Crue. I missed Telly. We should have a get-together. What do you think?" Ideas for a get-together were already running through Dianna's head. _

_Dianna was referring to their childhood friends. All of them grew up together in Valencia, spending summers in their family ranches that happened to be close to each other. They formed an amazing bond that they managed to maintain in their years of growing up. Growing apart was something that their friend, Lea Michele, now a Broadway star, actually anticipated. So she started this annual New Year's Eve party during senior year, hoping that it would keep them bonded. It wasn't a bad idea. Everyone basically agreed to it without any second thoughts. Now they see everybody every year, and Naya, while she wouldn't openly admit it, looked forward to it everytime. _

"_I don't think that's a good idea."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Well, for one, I intend to enjoy the last remaining days Lea Michele-free, before that New Year's Eve party."_

"_You love Lea." _

"_Ugh. 'Lea' and 'love' should not go together in one sentence." Naya pretended to vomit that got Dianna laughing._

"_I swear, you have this sort of love-hate relationship with her."_

"_As much as I hate to admit it, I do love being friends with her but she's just so loud, I can't stand her voice. Maybe we'd get along better if she taped her mouth when we talk."_

_Dianna smiled at the jabs at Lea, and then became quiet. Naya noticed as the blonde let herself get lost in her thoughts. When hazel eyes looked back up to meet Naya's brown ones, the spark was gone, and Naya immediately knew why._

"_Uhm, so, have you heard from Mark?" The designer tried to act casual while asking about Mark Salling, another one of their childhood friends, but of course, she wouldn't fool Naya. Naya could fairly trace the pain in that voice. _

_She took a while to answer. _

"_Actually, I'm meeting him in Hawaii. I would be doing some interviews there to promote my new movie." Last time Naya heard, Mark successfully started a publishing business on the island. It had been three years since he moved there. _

"_Oh. Tell him I said hi." Dianna smiled._

"_Okay."_

_They let the silence linger between them for a moment. It was Dianna who spoke again first. _

"_I'm going to New York."_

"_What?" Naya turned to her friend in surprise. That didn't sound good to her at all. _

"_I wanted to take a few classes. You know, take my mind off things…"_

"_What about your shop?"_

"_I'm still coming back here every now and then. I just need a distraction, something to break the monotony that is my life." Dianna had to keep herself busy. She needed to bury herself with work, to have a reason not to think of a certain childhood friend who's now too far beyond her reach. _

"_How long will you stay there?" Noticeably, Naya's voice dropped in a whisper. She knew why Dianna needed a distraction. She knew the reason behind it._

_Naya could not remember exactly when Dianna started having those feelings for Mark. The blonde never really talked about it, but it was so damn obvious. How could Mark take her for granted? Dianna was the sweetest, nicest, most lovable person anyone would ever meet. Did their friend Mark think Dianna wasn't good enough for him? Naya wanted to make him see how lucky he was that someone was actually this patient to wait for him. Mark was the reason for all the sadness in Dianna's eyes. She had no idea when it started but she became protective of the designer. She wanted nothing but Dianna's happiness. _

_She loved Dianna. The extent of those feelings was still undefined but she loved her and she wanted to keep her happy. _

_Naya worried over who would look after Dianna when she went to New York._

"_I don't know." That was Dianna's answer, and Naya didn't like it. _

Naya groaned in frustration when she felt the pair of blues on her again. Trying not to get riled up, Naya opened her eyes and calmly turned her face to the blonde sitting next to her.

"I'm flattered with the attention, but can you please stop staring at me?"

The sharp tone of the actress made Heather jump. She almost forgot about Naya's bad-ass reputation when she let herself got lost in those pair of brown eyes before. Yup, her eyes can do that.

"Sorry…" Heather mumbled in embarrassment. When she woke up from her short nap, her eyes automatically turned towards the direction of the brunette, probably to confirm whether the memory of seeing Naya was just a dream. Apparently, it wasn't.

And she was actually feeling the dagger looks the brunette was sending her way. Heather immediately turned away.

"Hi. Would you like something to drink?"

Heather looked up at the flight attendant who was smiling at them. Naya answered first. For the first time since the plane took off, she saw a smile formed in the face of the movie star who requested for a bottle of water.

And for the nth time, the blonde's eyes flickered down soft, plump, red lips…

"Miss?"

"Huh?"

"Drinks?" The flight attendant smiled at her with a concerned look on her face. On the other hand, Naya raised an eyebrow at Heather.

"Oh. Uh, just Coke, please. Thanks." She smiled gratefully as she was handed the can of coke.

But Heather was so clumsy, she actually dropped it. The can rolled back and forth a few times on the floor, shaking the contents inside, before Heather was able to snatch it back up.

Naya rolled her eyes. She should have paid enough attention though.

It was too late for Naya when Heather's Coke sprayed out of its can to her direction after the blonde opened it, wetting her in the crotch area. The blonde looked on in fear as the actress tried in vain to wipe the soda off her pants and shirt, anger evident on her face.

"Fuck! What the fuck, seriously?" Naya tried to grab every tissue she could reach but it wasn't really helping. She saw a flight attendant try to approach but stopped her with her hand. The last thing she needed is a good-looking female in skimpy skirts touching her lower region.

But that's exactly what clumsy blonde tried to do, making Naya almost jump out of her seat. The brunette swatted the pale hands away before it could touch her.

"I'm sorry! I didn't do it intentionally. I-"

"If you wanted me naked, you could have just asked." Naya snarled at the blonde, whose eyes widened at what she had just said.

"What?" Heather squeaked.

"Isn't that what you're trying to do here?" Naya replied as if stating the obvious. The innocent look on the blonde's flustered face suddenly turned scorching.

"Excuse me? What do you take me for?" Heather took a jab at Naya's right shoulder, making the brunette wince.

"Oww! Why are you so violent? You know, your deflection would have worked if you hadn't been literally drooling at me since you saw me." Naya rubbed the part of her shoulder that was hit by clumsy blonde.

_Damn, she has a mean right hook._

"Wow. I didn't realize how big your head is. Can you move? Because it's taking up all of my space!"

"Whatever." Naya got up from her seat and grudgingly snatched her hand-carry bag, marching to the direction of the bathroom. She was lucky she decided to bring some change of clothes or else, paparazzi at the airport would feast on photos of her wet crotch.

That would definitely drive Kevin nuts.

The bathroom was cramped and was not the most comfortable place to change clothes, but Naya really had no choice. She couldn't bend enough to pull her pants down without hitting her head somewhere. A few minutes and tons of sweat later, she managed to get into a fresh pair of pants and a new t-shirt, wiping the sticky Coke from her skin with tissues.

Changing clothes had never been so difficult.

Looking up at the mirror on top of the sink, Naya went on to fix her hair, which was now going in all directions. She was still seething with rage at the blonde. Her mind went back to the reaction on blondie's face after the initial gush of Coke went straight into her crotch area.

That facial expression brought an involuntary smile in her face.

Shaking her head, she began packing all of her things into her hand-carry bag. Before leaving the bathroom, and since she was already there, she decided to take a pee. Naya lifted the toilet cover, and just as she pulled her pants down, somebody came bursting into the small bathroom, toppling her over into the toilet.

Apparently, Naya failed to properly snap the lock into place.

"Shit!" Naya's hands scrambled to hold onto something to prevent her from falling further. "Someone has a fucking death wish today!" Outraged, Naya, while covering herself, prepared for an onslaught of her rather rich vocabulary of curse words, only to be stopped by the look on the intruder's face.

Surprise, surprise.

Clumsy blonde was looking at her with comically wide eyes and she looked like she was sick. For a fleeting moment, blue eyes traveled downward and Naya scrambled to make sure she wasn't exposed.

Realizing what was about to happen by the color of the blonde's cheeks and the look on her face, Naya gave Heather the worst, most evil, warning look she could muster and just in time, the blonde turned to the direction of the sink and began vomiting.

"Euuww!" Naya didn't feel like peeing now. So she got up from the toilet and made sure Heather wasn't looking as she pulled her pants up. As much as she wanted to run out of there, because the stench is seriously making her want to puke herself, she couldn't. Clumsy blonde was blocking her way, and the bathroom was so small. She could barely move when she was alone, more so that blondie decided to join her.

The brunette was now breathing through her mouth.

"Can you move your ass? Because it's stinking in here and I need fresh air!"

"And yours smells better?" Heather croaked as she buried her head into the sink.

The sound of Heather's voice shut the brunette's mouth and Naya actually paid attention to what was happening to her. Heather's blonde hair was falling down into the sink and for an unknown reason, even to the actress, Naya was fast enough to hold the blonde hair back for Heather.

Needless to say, Heather was surprised.

_Ugh, this is disgusting. _Naya didn't even know what forced her to hold clumsy blonde's hair. Was it concern? That's far-fetched.

"Are you like, pregnant or something?" The brunette now stood at the side of the writer, looking everywhere else but the sink.

"What? No!" That was the blonde's muffled response.

"Hey, I was just asking. Don't get all too defensive."

It took a little while longer before Heather started feeling better. Naya stayed with her, on her own free will, though with a big frown on her face. Heather felt so embarrassed that she avoided looking at her when she thanked the actress.

As they left the bathroom, with Heather first and then Naya, the brunette found one of the female flight attendants outside, looking at her with amusement. She decided to ignore the attendant, but before she could step further away, she heard the attendant calling her.

"Uhm, Ms. Rivera?"

"What?" Naya growled in annoyance.

"Your, uh…" The flight attendant couldn't verbalize what she wanted to say, so she just pointed to her lower region.

Naya frowned. Was the flight attendant actually making an indecent proposal or something? Because after what happened in the bathroom, she wasn't really in the mood.

"Your fly, ma'am…" Finally, the flight attendant managed to squeak out.

Upon hearing and realizing what the flight attendant had been trying to say, she immediately buttoned her pants and rushed back to her seat, her face burning in embarrassment.

Naya and Heather tried their best to avoid each other for the rest of their flight.

Hawaii…

Heather had been trying to reach Harry and Jenna through their cellphones, but she couldn't contact them. She assumed they would be in her house back at Eagle Rock since they were the ones who volunteered to housesit for her. She was becoming more and more impatient by the minute.

The blonde was currently occupying a table outside Kimo Bean along Mauna Lani Drive. She was so hungry when she arrived. She had thrown up almost everything on the plane and found herself here, ordering coffee and some muffins.

She liked Hawaii so far, and she had some time to explore the island, making her wish that she wasn't alone. But she had to remind herself of why she was here: to clear her head and get some inspiration. Still, it wouldn't have been too bad to have someone warm beside her at night.

When was the last time she actually had a relationship? Oh, right, when she was 23 years old, which was two years ago. She almost got married then, to this musician, a beach blonde guy with huge kissable lips. His name was Chord. Heather will never forget the look on his face when she decided to break it off, breaking his heart in the process.

It just didn't feel right.

So the last two years had been nothing but a few dates here and there. She had a short-time girlfriend named Alice, but it was never really serious. She also dated Sarah, a drummer of some band whose name she always had a hard time remembering. And yeah, she had one date with that guy she was classmates with in highschool, but she just wasn't interested.

Heather sighed.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

The male voice made her look up, and her eyes were met by a pair of soulful dark orbs. Standing by her table was man wearing expensive gray suit, smiling at her. He had a to-go cup in his hands and did not look threatening. Actually, he looked very charming. Heather guessed he must have truckloads of women swooning over him.

Heather let her eyes travel around her surroundings. It was a sunny day and the atmosphere of the place was so laid-back. While the man's outfit was so out of place, she was sure he just dropped by to get his coffee fix and wasn't really planning to blend in.

"It is." The blonde let the smile grace her lips.

"A beautiful woman like you should be hitting the beach by now. The waves are perfect."

"And a suit-wearing guy like you should be inside an air-conditioned room because it must feel scorching wearing that." She joked.

He laughed.

"I'm Mark, by the way. Mark Salling." He extended his hand for her to shake, which Heather gladly accepted.

"Heather Morris."

"Tourist?"

"Yup. True-blue Californian."

"Really? I am too." Mark was smiling at her fondly that Heather felt a bit shy all of a sudden. He wasn't really making an effort to hide his admiration.

They exchanged shy smiles.

"I was actually headed to see a friend. Maybe I'll see you around?" He sounded hopeful and looked reluctant to leave.

"Yeah. But I'll only be here in few days, so…"

"Maybe in California then?" Mark smiled that charming smile again, and the blonde couldn't stop the blushing of her face.

"Okay."

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Heather."

"It was nice to meet you too, Mark."

For the first time in a long time, Heather felt giddy. She could not contain the smile on her face for the rest of the day.

Naya was pacing her spacious penthouse unit at the Mauna Lani Bay Resort when Michael Jackson's Bad started playing on her cellphone. She didn't have to look at the caller ID to know that it was Kevin calling, although she wondered why he was. Barely two hours since she touched down in Honolulu and her agent was calling.

_What did I do this time?_

"Hey little bee." Naya tried to sound chipper for her friend's sake. Knowing Kevin, he would be able to trace the anxiety in her voice despite of how good of an actress she is. But she wasn't really planning on discussing the reason behind her mood, i.e. Dianna's New York move, to anyone. Kevin didn't know how she felt about Dianna.

Truth is, Kevin didn't know how she felt about any of the ladies she dated and not dated because she just didn't want to talk about it. It was the part of her life that Naya wanted private, and she wanted to keep it that way. Unfortunately for her though, the paparazzi had better ninja skills than she did and she always ended up getting photographed with whomever she was dating at the moment.

It wasn't her fault that she couldn't really stay with them longer, thus, the long line of normal as well as psychotic ex-girlfriends and one-night stands.

"_Guess who's the newest member of the Mile High Club?"_ Kevin asked.

"Who cares?" The sarcasm did not get past Naya, but she did not even have any idea what her friend was talking about. So she thought maybe it was just some gossip Kevin picked out from the grapevine.

"_You." _The rise in his voice only meant that he was infuriated.

"What?" A crease formed in Naya's forehead. She stopped pacing her temporary living room, looking outside the glass wall into the beautiful ocean with a confused expression on her face.

"_Can't you keep it in your pants for like, a few days? Or at least until you get into a hotel."_

"I don't even know what you're talking about, bee." She whined. If she did something wrong, it's her right to at least know what she had done, right?

"_Some 'source' spilled to Radar that on your plane to Hawaii, you came out of the bathroom with a beautiful blonde girl and there was no mistaking as to what you had been doing in there with her. Disheveled hair, flustered face, your fly was open, and you hogged the bathroom for more than thirty minutes!" _

Naya paused in thought, trying to recall the events during her five-hour trip to Hawaii. Then suddenly, realization hit her. That flight attendant better not show her face to her ever again.

Kevin was talking about clumsy, beautiful and sexy blonde girl that got her all wet.

With Coke.

"Fuck… and you believed that? You believed that gossip site that makes up stories of my clandestine affairs with men? Seriously, _with men_, after I came out? Nothing happened inside. I was peeing and that girl just burst in and puked. It was disgusting. Thanks for reminding me by the way. Now I'm skipping dinner." Naya winced at the memory, taking a glance at her watch.

Mark would be arriving any minute now.

"_Wow, I didn't know you were that bad." _Kevin was genuinely laughing now, forgetting that just a while ago, he was chastising Naya about her newly-acquired Mile High Club 'membership'.

"I'm not bad and nothing happened! I didn't get any action on that plane so don't get your panties in a twist. How was I even supposed to do that with highly restricted space? Was it reported anywhere else?" Naya readjusted the reading glasses that were perched on the bridge of her nose.

"_No, thank god. Amber managed to silence the other sites and the sleazy tabloids that might run with it. I think we got it covered. Just try to keep a low profile when you decide to play around in there, okay? And, always use protection!" _He joked, eliciting a chuckle from Naya.

"You make me sound like a sex addict."

"_Oh, you aren't?" _He sounded shocked.

"Haha, funny Kev." Naya heard the knocks on her door. "Hey bee, I think Mark's here. Let's talk later, okay?" She walked to the direction of the door.

"_Okay. Before I let you go, I want you to know that your new house is ready so you can move in anytime. I personally supervised the redesign, as you requested. And just as you wanted, it's in a quiet area in Eagle Rock and your nearest neighbor is like half a mile away. Perfectly manicured lawn and landscape and it has a river out back. So, have fun, bee. Buh-bye." _

They hung up. When she told Kevin that she wanted to get away from LA and find a place where she could have some peace and quiet when she's not working, he immediately suggested Eagle Rock. It wasn't so far away from LA and Ben Affleck did mention once when they were still filming their blockbuster action movie last year that he had lived in Eagle Rock at one point in his life. Kevin got her some photos of houses there that were up for sale, and there was this one house that immediately stood out.

She didn't have to think twice. She had to buy it and she did.

Naya paused before the door and let out a deep breath before opening it. And she was right. Standing at her doorway was one of her childhood friends, Mark Salling, in his expensive, gray business suit.

"Hi, Naya." Mark smiled at her.

She hoped her smile didn't look so fake when she let him in.

Mark stopped in front of her glass-paneled wall overlooking the ocean.

"Nice view." He then turned, giving Naya one of his charming smiles. She almost rolled her eyes at him. Mark eyed the white couch in Naya's penthouse living room. "May I?" He asked.

"Of course."

Mark took a seat and Naya followed him. Trying to avoid being close, the actress took the adjacent chair.

"Glad you ditched the Mohawk." Naya started. Despite her recent dislike for her friend, she still liked him. They went through so much together after all. They were so close during highschool, actually, and he was one of the first few persons she had told about her sexuality. He was very accepting.

She reminded herself why she didn't like him now. _Dianna_. Mark was the one causing sadness in Dianna's life and she couldn't help but blame him.

But what did he really do? Dianna's feelings had always been one-sided. Mark never once expressed any interest for their childhood friend but that didn't stop Dianna from falling.

_What a lucky bastard._

"I had to. It doesn't really help with the business." Mark laughed. "So, you're here for your new movie? I heard the critics loved it."

"Yeah, I'm just doing some interviews."

"I'll make time to see it. You know I always support you." Mark smiled at her.

"Thanks, Mark." She genuinely returned the smile. But damn, it's hard to not like him when he's this nice. "So, do you want something to eat or drink?"

"Don't bother. I can't stay long. I just wanted to see you. It's been a long time."

"How long has it been? You skipped last year's New Year's Eve party. Lea was mad." Naya took her reading glasses off and placed it on the coffee table, together with her cellphone, next to the book she had been reading a while ago.

"Yeah. She made sure I knew that when she called me the same day."

"You should be there this year. Dianna misses you already." She hated saying the last part, but it was true.

"Really? How is she?"

"She's doing fine. You should call her." Naya encouraged him. He looked like he was considering it.

"Maybe I should."

Now Naya did not know whether to be happy about that or not.

_Wow, these feelings are conflicting. That's why I don't do feelings._

"Or maybe I should just talk to her in person." Mark got up from the couch and walked back to the window. He stood looking out of the view, his hands shoved into his pockets.

"What?"

"I'm coming back to LA."

"You're coming back to LA?" Naya sat restlessly on the chair. She couldn't believe what she just heard. After years of living in Hawaii, Mark finally decided to move back to Los Angeles.

And back to Dianna's life.

"Yes." Mark turned towards Naya's direction, a frown plastered on his face. "You didn't sound happy to hear that."

"What? I'm happy. Of course, I'm happy… Uh… When are you moving back?"

"In a few days."

"But what about your business here? I heard you're doing great here."

"It's stable. There's someone here that I can trust to take care of my business. I've started a film production company with Meg and Telly in LA. They haven't mentioned anything?"

"We barely even have time to see each other despite being in the same zip code. So that's what's keeping them busy these days?" No wonder those two couldn't find time to meet her and Dianna at The Ivy for lunch the week before.

"I'll need your help in the future. How's your family? Have you talked to your father?"

The turn of conversation did not sit well with Naya. Her father was still a touchy subject and Mark knew better than to go there. The glare she was sending his way was not intimidating him a bit though.

"You should give him a chance. You're not a kid anymore."

Mark was giving her a talking-to and Naya was not about let him go further. He had no right.

"Don't you have somewhere to go to?" Naya's suddenly cold demeanor and dismissive tone sent a very clear message. And Mark knew her long enough to get it.

"Yes, actually. Thank you for reminding me."

Naya just shrugged. When Mark went for the door, the brunette did not even bother to walk him out. She stayed on her seat, without even giving her long-time friend a brief glance.

"See you in LA, Naya."

Then she heard the door closed.

Life in LA was getting a bit too complicated. It was a good thing she was moving to Eagle Rock, a neighborhood in the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Heather should have trusted her instincts, because when she came back to her house after her one-week stay in Hawaii, the locks had been changed, and there was a sign in the front lawn with the big bold letters 'SOLD'. Harry and Jenna were still missing, there was no one in their house or at Harry's small dance studio and the blonde was starting to lose her patience.

And this half-bald, round, middle-aged guy who claimed to be the real estate agent who had sold her house without her consent wasn't really helping. She had been sitting in front of him for ten minutes now and all he could say was it's sold and there's nothing that he could do about it.

"Look, Mr…?"

"Steinky." The stocky guy answered while he sloppily drank on his cup of coffee.

"_Stinky_?" Despite of her current, pathetic situation, Heather almost laughed at that. How fitting was it for him to be born with that family name? It looked like the guy could use a shower.

"Do you have a problem with that?" The guy barked at her and he wasn't looking too cheerful today. If she wanted to get something from him, Heather knew she had to be nice, or at least pretend to be.

"No. Uhm, Mr. Steinky, you see, that house you sold at Eagle Rock near the Los Angeles River, that's my house."

"So?" He seemed bored as he snatched a donut from the box in front of him and devoured it in front of the blonde.

_How could this guy even sell houses? _If anything, he looked like a homeless guy. How ironic.

"I wasn't really selling it."

"I told you, it's already been sold. The papers had been finalized and I'm sure the new owner has already moved in. And she paid good cash. More than enough, actually, so why are you pestering me about it?" Mr. Steinky did not bother to hide his annoyance.

"Were you actually listening to a word I said? I'm not selling the house! Those people who gave you the authority to, they are just my stupid ex-friends now who conned me to go to Hawaii under the pretense of concern so they could execute their sinister plan!"

Instead of sympathy, Heather got a weird look from the weird real estate guy on the other side of the table.

"Who are you again?"

"I'm Heather Elizabeth Morris." She waved her driver's license in front of his face, but Mr. Steinky barely paid attention to it.

"No you're not."

"What?"

"She was the owner who sold that house you're so interested in."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you. I AM the owner. I'm Heather Elizabeth Morris!" The blonde yelled in exasperation. She was getting nowhere with this guy.

Surprised at the outburst, and as if seeing the light for the first time, a look of understanding crossed the stocky man's face.

"What? So who are those Chinese couple who came in with the deed?"

_Wow, he was slow._

"Well, probably NOT Heather Morris. Do they look like Morris's to you?" Uhm, hello, Harry and Jenna have Chinese eyes.

"Okay, that's just racist."

Heather's hands formed into fists and they were trembling. It was taking all she had to stop herself from lunging at this guy who not only sold her house, he was also the most stupid person she had ever met in her life.

"You have to give me my house back." Heather fixed him a hard look, and for the first time, Mr. Steinky realized that she meant business. He gulped. Well, the blonde was taller than him and she looked so lean, she probably could throw him into the window.

"Ms. Morris, I really can't do that." Mr. Steinky was talking softer this time, and speaking carefully to make sure that he doesn't rile up the blonde. "Maybe you should get the money from your friends and try to convince the new owner to sell the house back to you?"

It was a good suggestion. But Harry and Jenna were in hiding already and she wasn't sure if they were ever coming back.

So where was she supposed to go now? She didn't have much money in the bank, and she taught dance at on the side while struggling to write. But she couldn't even teach dance now that Harry's studio was closed.

She felt tired and defeated.

"Can you at least tell me who bought the house?" Heather asked. Maybe she could ask the new owner to let her have the house back and let her pay in installments. Although she had no idea how she was going to pay up if by some form of miracle, the new owner actually agrees. It's a long shot, but she had to try, or else, she'd be sleeping in the streets.

"Diana Prince."

"Excuse me?"

"Diana Prince."

"Like Wonder Woman? Is that for real?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I did not personally meet her, just her staff or something."

"Well, thanks."

And with that, Heather pulled her suitcase with her back to Eagle Rock. As she pulled over and parked her car in front of her house, and finding the lights inside open, Heather felt the sadness wrap around her heart. What if she couldn't get the house back? What would happen to the memories she had in there, her memories with her dad and growing up? This is the only home she had known all her life, and her heart was breaking with the thought that her own friends failed to even realize what a great loss this would be to her.

She let out a deep sigh. If she had to promise that she'd work herself to the bone just to convince the new owner to sell her the house back, she would. That's how important this was for her. So, she braced herself for the consequences, and climbed up the two steps to the door, and started knocking.

She heard the sound of footsteps inside. Preparing herself with the monologue that she was sure would make even the hardest criminal cry, the door finally opened.

Her jaw hit the floor.

"You?" Heather frowned in disbelief.

"And you." The raspy voice said back.

It seemed like fate was out to get her because new house owner who hid behind Wonder Woman's alter ego, Diana Prince, was actually the last person she ever wanted to see.

Naya Rivera.


	3. Full House

**A/N: **I can only apologize for the long wait. Life and career got in the way. I recently just became a lawyer, so, yay! Congratulations to me! Anyway, here's the next installment. It's quite lengthy. And due to my excitement to post it, it's unbeta'ed, so if there are typos and mistakes, please bear with me.

On with it!

**CHAPTER 2**

**FULL HOUSE**

"Are you stalking me?" Raspy voice broke the silence that momentarily settled between the two women. Brown eyes narrowed at Heather, who stood frozen at the threshold while the brunette actress blocked the door with her arms crossed.

"What are you doing in my house?" The question came with an exasperated sigh. The writer did not seem to catch the accusation, though. Seeing Naya again just brought back the memories (and her annoyance) from the plane and for a moment, she forgot what her predicament was.

"Oh, you mean _my_ house, clumsy blonde stalker?" Naya corrected with a raise of an eyebrow.

"I'm not stalking you and my name is Heather." The blonde's sharp reply.

"I didn't ask." The actress replied casually, while letting her eyes wander, blatantly assessing Heather from head to foot. It was the first time that Naya actually got to check out the blonde. Her raised eyebrow went up even higher, her lips forming into a grin.

_Clumsy blonde stalker was kind'a hot. _

The not-so-subtle leering brought a blush into pale cheeks. Heather unconsciously crossed her arms in an attempt to cover herself up. Why did she choose today to wear her shirt with a very low neckline? Oh how she wanted to slap that predatory smirk off Naya's face.

"Am I being punk'd or something? Come on Kutcher, you can come out now!"

Heather closed her eyes and took in some deep breaths. She was absolutely annoyed by Naya, but she had to be nice. She needed to be nice because apparently, Naya Rivera was Diana Prince and her plan to get the house back wouldn't really work if she gave in to her urge to smack the actress in the face.

She wished she didn't have to beg.

"Look, there had been some misunderstanding and some swindling involved here. This is my house. I wasn't selling it. You bought it from my scheming friends."

"And that's my problem how?"

Of course Naya wouldn't care. Why would she? There really was no one to blame here but Harry and Jenna. Heather lifted her right hand to rub her temple, trying to calm herself and at the same time, thinking of her next plan.

Heather did not notice Naya observing her the whole time.

"You have shitty friends." The brunette commented.

"We had our good times." Heather shrugged. She tried to think of a reason why her friends had to do what they did but couldn't come up with one. They were not criminals and there's got to be a reason why they had to resort to conning her. But there was no way to find out if they wouldn't tell her themselves.

"You should sue them and have them arrested." Naya sounded sympathetic. Although she didn't know the whole story, she felt for the blonde. Whoever Heather's friends were, they deserve to rot in jail for selling the blonde's house without her consent. On a side note, she was also impressed that they managed to pull it off.

"I don't know if I want them to go to jail."

Naya leaned against the doorframe, watching the conflicted look on the blonde's face. She seemed tired, and at the same time, frustrated.

"Just like that? They sold your house, and you're just letting them off?"

"They are my friends." Heather sighed. Actually, Harry and Jenna were her family. Since her father died and she had no idea where her mother was, those two had always been there for her. They grew up together. Even when Harry and Jenna started dating, they stuck with her. They were the closest to family that Heather could ever have.

"They are hardly your friends." Naya scoffed. Is this girl for real? Because if her so-called friends had done something like that to her, Naya's throwing them in front of a truck.

"I just want to get my house back."

"Well, too late because I just bought it and paid a lot for it."

"Let me buy it back from you." The blonde looked pleadingly at the actress, her soft blue eyes catching Naya off-guard.

Naya immediately turned her eyes somewhere else. It was weird. For a fleeting moment, she actually entertained the thought of just giving the house back to Heather. She shook her head to clear it.

"Well, do you have money now so we can get over this?" Her own question surprised her. She was still avoiding the pair of blue eyes, surprised that she was negotiating a buy-back of the house. In a normal situation, she would have just slammed the door on whoever was pestering her night of rest.

When Naya did not hear a response, she was forced to look back up in time to see the embarrassment at the blonde's face.

"No."

Naya rolled her eyes.

"Forget it then." The annoyance was back at the tone of the brunette's voice.

"Please, my father designed and built this house. It's a big part of my life. This is where I grew up. I have nowhere else to go." Heather clasped her hands together, silently hoping that she could convince Naya to give her time.

"So let me get this straight. You want to buy this house back from me, but you don't even have any money for a down payment?"

"But I will pay you, I promise."

"And do you have any stable job at the moment?"

"I'm on the process of writing a screenplay and I teach dance at Harry and Jenna's dance studio, but-"

"And by telling me your life story, you actually thought I'd agree to move out and let you move back in without you paying me back?"

"I told you, I'll pay you back, just-"

"Are you stoned or something?"

"What? No! I'm-"

"Look, I feel for you. I really do. Your friends shouldn't have taken advantage of you, but it's not really my business. I actually like this house and I paid for it, so I'm staying."

"But Nay-"

The door was slammed into Heather's face.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

BAM!

Or at least it sounded like that when Naya faceplanted on her doorway the next morning as she went out for a jog. Pushing herself up with a grunt, her eyes searched for the cause of her fall and found a huge lump wedged in front of her door that looked strangely like-

"Heather?"

There was no response, but seeing the blonde locks almost covering the writer's face, the actress knew she couldn't be mistaken. Heather actually slept on her front steps. Naya sat staring at the blonde, berating herself for feeling a bit guilty. The blonde told her that she has nowhere to go, and she didn't offer her to stay, even for just a night. The guilt was short-lived however, as she reminded herself that Heather was not her responsibility.

She didn't know what possessed her to do it, but she reached out and pushed the stray hair away from Heather's face, her fingers making contact with the side of the blonde's forehead.

She was burning up.

"Hey, wake up. Heather, wake up." She gently shook the blonde, whose eyes remained closed and gave a whimper in response.

Naya let out a sigh. It's going to be quite the work out carrying Heather into the house. Imagining the distance of the door to her couch, she deduced that she could in fact handle it. Taking one deep breath, she began pulling Heather into her feet, and led her to the house.

Taking care of sick people wasn't one of her best suits. In order to pursue acting, she dropped out of Brown before she could even finish her pre-med course, which irked her father (Valencia's most prominent cardiologist) to the fullest. His rant about how she'd be wasting her life and how stupid she was being for choosing such an 'undignified' profession led to their worst argument yet.

She hadn't talked to him since.

Her mother and grandmother never said anything about her choice of career, but they seemed supportive. Once in a while, when Naya remembered to call, her mother Yolanda would tell her about sneaking into the cinema just to watch Naya's newest movie. Her grandmother would complain that she was too frail to join Yolanda, and that never failed to make Naya smile. At least most of the members of her family appreciate what she does. She didn't' need her dad; that's what she kept telling herself over the years.

Though sometimes, she couldn't help but miss him.

Heather now lay on the couch, sleeping soundly. Her whimpers had stopped, but when Naya reached up to feel her forehead, her skin was still burning hot. She wouldn't have known what to do, but a call to her mom proved to be really helpful. Naya managed to wake the blonde for a moment to take the paracetamol that, thank god, was included in the first aid kit her mother makes sure to check in her monthly visits.

Kneeling on the floor, the brunette actress set the small basin on the floor, pulled the towel resting on her shoulder, and dipped it into the lukewarm water with alcohol. After wringing it of excess water, she lifted it to dab on Heather's face, her neck, and her arms. That elicited a satisfied moan that brought a blush on to Naya's face.

Forcing herself back into the task at hand, she dipped the towel back into the water, repeating the process.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

The writer drifted in and out of sleep until she woke up hungry and exhausted the following morning. At first, she was confused. She didn't have any memory of walking into the house and taking refuge at the couch, which she now noticed was too soft to be her own. That's when she bolted upright.

This wasn't her house anymore.

She could already imagine Naya's wrath when the actress finds her there. With much stealth as she could muster, the blonde slowly picked up her shoes and was slowly walking her way out of the door when -

"Going somewhere?"

The voice coming from the direction of the kitchen startled Heather out of her wits, making her jump. Literally.

Slowly, she turned.

"Breakfast?" Naya asked, munching on a waffle. Her eyes were fixed at the blonde, looking expectantly.

Heather just gawked. Why in the world was Naya being so nice and wasn't throwing her out of the house?

"As much as it flatters me, you can't just stand there and stare at me all day, you know."

Embarrassed, Heather turned her eyes away from the amused brunette. When she still didn't make a move to join the actress at the table, Naya just had to roll her eyes.

"Just come here and have breakfast with me."

"Why?"

"I can't be nice for no reason?"

Heather felt her stomach grumble. She was really hungry, but she had a long day ahead of her. She had to find a place to stay, and possibly a new job. And if she had enough time, she'd try to find her friends and at least get the money for the house, start anew. She was already resigned to the idea that this house was no longer hers.

No reason to stay any longer.

"I have to go." Heather replied softly.

"I thought you said you had nowhere else to go." The actress sipped on her cup of coffee, looking at the blonde over the lid.

"Well, why do you care?"

"I don't."

"Have a nice life, Naya." Heather turned to leave.

"Wait."

Heather stopped on her tracks. She could hear the brunette's footsteps getting nearer, and out of curiosity, she turned around.

"You can stay."

"What?"

"Just until you find a new place, or when you find a new job. You can take the spare bedroom."

"Why are you being nice all of a sudden?"

"I'm not. I'm just trying to help."

"I don't think I can-"

"Look, just take the help, okay?" Naya herself was surprised that she was offering her house to the blonde. Maybe those soft blue eyes had something to do with it.

"I don't have anything to pay you."

"I kind of figured that out. You don't have to pay rent. But you're going to have to clean the house everyday and cook my meals because I recently just fired my chef and I don't trust that cleaning lady that used to clean my former house."

"You're really letting me stay?" That didn't sound so bad. Heather would get to stay in her father's house longer and she wouldn't have to worry about finding a new place for the moment. Who knows, maybe she could raise the money to buy the house back.

"Only if you want."

"Oh my god, thank you! Thank you so much!" Heather then wrapped her arms around Naya which surprised the brunette.

Naya let the blonde squeeze her for a few seconds, and even let her lips form into a smile, before she pulled away from the hug.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

While it may not be so obvious to Dianna, Naya's nerves were killing her as the brunette led her blonde friend into the restaurant. Her hands were shaking due to nervousness that she had to hide them behind her.

"Why is it empty here today?" Dianna asked the brunette as she looked around, wondering why the first-class restaurant that was usually filled with people had no one else but them, and the staff. The guy at the bar gave her a weird smile. She didn't give it much thought and just returned the smile.

"I don't know." Naya replied, glad that the tremble in her voice wasn't that obvious. She pulled the chair for Dianna.

"What's gotten into you?" The designer chuckled. "You opened the car door for me just a while ago."

"Well, contrary to popular belief, chivalry isn't really dead."

"You may be a lot of things, NayNay, but chivalrous isn't one of them."

"Just enjoy it while it lasts, baby girl." Naya grinned as she picked up the menu in front of her, pretending to read.

"Oh, I will. Can you pick up my dry cleaning tomorrow?"

"Ha-ha. Don't push it." The brunette tried to act serious but the big smile on her face gave her away.

"It's so weird that it's just the two of us here... So what did you want to tell me?" Dianna recalled that Naya mentioned she needed to tell her something so they agreed to meet for dinner. She picked up the menu in front of her as well and scanned the choices.

"After dessert." The actress threw a brief look at Dianna, letting a sly grin cross her face.

"I'm curious. Come on. Tell me now." Needless to say, the designer was intrigued.

"Well, you're going to New York."

"Aww. You don't want me to go?" Dianna reached across the table for Naya's left hand. She smiled sweetly at her friend while rubbing the back of Naya's hand.

Brown eyes locked at their hands, before it traveled to meet Dianna's hazel ones. Her smile faltered, as she thought of the remaining days that Dianna would be in LA.

"I just want you to be safe." Naya said with sincerity. She felt the blonde squeeze her hand.

"You should have been nice to me when I was here." Dianna winked at Naya but missed the blush that tinted the brunette's cheeks as she reached for her cellphone in her bag when she heard it ringing.

The blonde's face noticeably lit up upon seeing who was calling.

Naya could only guess it was Mark.

She was correct.

Dianna looked so giddy talking (or whispering) to Mark on the other line that Naya had to roll her eyes. She was so annoyed at Mark for ruining their moment. Since when did he even get back to LA?

"I have to go." Dianna's voice pulled Naya from her thoughts.

"What?"

Just then, the waitress brought a cup of ice cream on their table, in front of Dianna. Naya's eyes shifted to the ice cream and back to the blonde.

"I told Mark that I'm here. He's coming to pick me up. He needs something to wear for the Vanity Fair party next week. We're going to the shop." Dianna got up from her seat and walked around the table to give Naya a kiss on the cheek.

"But what about the ice cream? You love ice cream."

"Let's have dinner another time, okay?" Dianna said over her shoulder as she headed for the exit.

All the while, Naya sat frozen on her chair, fuming at Mark. She picked up the glass of red wine in front of her and drank the contents in one gulp. Not satisfied, she picked up the bottle, poured her glass full, and drank it empty again.

Feeling the buzz, she got up from her chair and sprinted out of the restaurant, gaining curious looks from the staff but she couldn't care less.

She managed to catch up with Dianna who was still standing outside, waiting for Mark. She didn't realize that she actually grabbed Dianna's arm, making her turn around in surprise.

"Naya?"

"Tell him to wait."

"Naya, what's going on with you?" The blonde noticed how flustered Naya was so she reached up and touched her face, only to be swatted away.

"Do you like him?" The brunette's voice was a little louder than usual and she seemed angry. Dianna was taken aback by her tone.

"Why is that your business?" Dianna pulled her hand back, her mood shifting. She turned away from Naya. She wasn't really up for an argument tonight.

"He doesn't like you like that." The actress rumbled at her.

Dianna knew her friend was right. And she hated her for it, and for bringing that up. Naya just knew how to ruin her night, but she had no idea why the brunette was even doing it. She took in a deep breath to calm herself.

"Well it's not your problem is it? Thanks for the concern."

Just then, Mark's Lexus stopped in front of them, and without so much of a word, or a look for that matter, Dianna got in. Naya did not even bother to say anything to Mark as she walked back to the restaurant, frustrated and disappointed as to how the night turned out.

"Uhm, is Naya okay?" Mark finally asked as he drove, wondering why Dianna was being quiet and why Naya did not even say hi to him at the restaurant.

"Yeah, she's fine. Just being the natural brat that she is. She's absolutely fine." She did not even bother to hide the annoyance in her voice.

"Are _you_ okay?"

"Just drive, Mark."

At the restaurant, Naya emptied the bottle of red wine. When she still wasn't drunk enough, she ordered shots of tequila. Knowing her alcohol level was more than the legal limit to allow her to drive, she called Kevin to pick her up. As she waited for him to arrive, she stared at the now melted cup of ice cream, scooped up the expensive ring from under it, wiped it with some tissue, and stuffed it in her purse.

She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. She was just mad.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Heather was stuck in front of her laptop and almost fell off her seat in the dining table when she heard the slamming of the front door. She felt relieved, however, upon seeing Naya stumble into her line of sight. But upon realizing the brunette's current state, she just had to frown.

Naya was drunk out of her wits.

She left the table just in time to catch the brunette before Naya fell on her face on the granite floor. Heather blushed when she realized how close her body was pressed with Naya's. The brunette, who was shorter than her, had her face buried in the writer's chest, her arms wrapped around Heather's body, while the blonde tried to hold her up.

They both stood in their awkward position in silence for a while. Then Heather heard the sobbing.

"Naya?" Heather pulled away a bit so that she could see Naya's face. True enough, tears were streaming down her sad face, and the sight just tugged at the blonde's heart.

She never thought she'd ever see the actress this vulnerable.

"What happened?" Pale hand unconsciously went up to tuck a stray brunette hair behind Naya's ear.

"She chose him…"

Heather had to strain her ears to hear.

"Who?"

"Dianna chose Mark…"

"Dianna? Dianna Agron?" It was one of the little information that she knew about the actress' public life. She had no idea who's the Mark Naya was referring to, but the designer and the brunette actress were known to be childhood friends. She had read about Naya wearing the blonde's designs in public events.

She felt when Naya nodded against her chest.

"I was going to propose and she chose Mark… Heather, she chose Mark!" Naya started sobbing again.

Heather felt so sorry for Naya. She never heard or read about Naya dating Dianna, but she must really love her enough to think of proposing to her. She pulled the trembling brunette closer, hoping that somehow, it would lessen the heartache.

Naya surprised her when the brunette pulled away and made a run to the backdoor. Heather followed her, confused. She found the Latina looking for something in her purse. When Naya lifted what it was, the blonde's jaw dropped.

It was one beautiful and expensive engagement ring.

When the brunette pulled her hand back as if she was going to throw it away, only to be wasted and lost in the vast lawn, Heather ran fast enough to grab her hand.

"Hold up! What are you doing?"

"Let go of me, Heather." Naya warned the blonde with a glare.

Heather flinched; she had never seen Naya so angry. Just a while ago, she looked so broken and sad. It was surprising how her mood could change so fast.

"You're throwing it away?"

"Yes I'm throwing this fucking ring away!" The brunette rolled her eyes.

"Why?"

"You know why!"

"But that looks really expensive. Can you just-"

"Do I look like I care?" Naya tugged at her hand and motioned for one strong throw.

_Well, that's a waste. _

When Naya stumbled back into the door, Heather followed and helped her. She wrapped her arm around Naya, walking her back into the house, and helping her climb up the stairs into her room.

"Don't even think about it." The brunette grumbled as they entered her bedroom.

Heather's eyes widened. Did Naya know that she was thinking of going back out to find the ring?

"I'm telling you, Heather. Just leave the ring alone." Naya sat on her bed, her eyes droopy eyes closing every now and then.

"I wasn't thinking anything." Heather answered defensively. When Naya tugged at the hem of her short dress to take it off, the blonde immediately turned and started walking out of the bedroom. "I should go now."

"Hemo?"

Heather stopped at the door. Did Naya just give her a nickname?

"Hemo?" Heather turned, relieved to see Naya already underneath the blanket, probably wearing nothing but her underwear. The thought made her blush.

"Yeah. HeMo. As in Heather Morris… I can call you Hemo, right?" Naya mumbled against her pillow.

Heather couldn't help but smile. The actress was looking so cute right now, and the nickname she got didn't sound so bad.

"Sure. You can call me Hemo."

"Thanks…"

"For what?"

"For being here."

"_De nada._"

Naya giggled at Heather's attempt at Spanish.

"Please just… Don't tell anyone about tonight."

"I won't. Goodnight, Naya."

"G'night Hemo…"

Heather smiled at Naya, glad to see the peaceful look on the now sleeping brunette. As she walked out of Naya's room, she stepped on something that was lying on the floor. She picked it up, and was intrigued to see the Vanity Fair logo on the envelope. Out of curiosity, she pulled what was inside the already opened envelope and found an invitation to a party that would be held the following week. Naya was allowed to bring anyone with her.

An idea struck Heather.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

It's been almost a week since that squabble with Dianna. Naya had never seen the blonde since then, and spent most of her time at home with another blonde. She was so glad that Hemo was sensitive enough not to bring up that night, despite of how exceptionally cranky she had been. She would have stayed at home, just so she could keep annoying the writer (it was really fun). But Kevin just had to pull her from her comfort zone to attend the Vanity Fair party.

Naya did not bother to hide how unhappy she was at the party.

Kevin and Amber had been going on and on about this new Martin Scorsese movie and the 'role of a lifetime' that they thought fits Naya perfectly. The gist of the whole conversation was to win that part and aim for the Oscars, but the brunette could not care less. Somewhere around here, Mark was probably flirting with a hot girl and Dianna was probably watching in misery, wallowing in self-pity.

"So, we'll set up a meet with Scorsese. I'll let you know the details." Kevin's voice brought her back from her trance.

"Yeah, okay." Naya smiled without really understanding what she had just agreed to. He could have been setting her up to die but she was too lost in thoughts to even pay attention.

The brunette continued to stare at nothing in particular. Her eyes darted everywhere, unconsciously looking for Dianna, but instead of finding the short-haired, blonde designer, a flash of longer blonde hair caught her attention.

A deep frown formed in her face.

Ten feet away from her, by the buffet table, was Heather, indulging on the free, unlimited and expensive food. She was also holding a flute of champagne on her right hand and was not hiding the obvious fact that she was stuffing herself like she was starving for months.

Naya rolled her eyes.

"Can you excuse me for a minute?" She said to her agent and manager.

Kevin and Amber exchanged looks. He shrugged and Amber just smiled at her. Naya, with determined steps and an annoyed look plastered in her face, approached the leggy blonde.

"I thought you weren't stalking me? I'd say this proves otherwise."

Heather wasn't surprised to hear that voice. When she turned around to face the brunette, she made sure that the actress would see that she wasn't that pleased to see her.

"Please. You're not exactly god's gift to women as you'd like to believe. You may be desirable, but I hope you'd give it up and accept the fact that I'm not that into you."

"Not _that _into me?" Naya grinned at her. She may not be enjoying this party but that did not mean she could not have fun provoking the blonde. "That's a bit vague and could be interpreted in so many different ways, don't you think?"

"Let me rephrase that. I. Don't. Like. You. At. All. So can you just leave me in peace?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Eating."

"Obviously. At least try to act a little refined. You look like you haven't seen food in years."

"Have you tasted this caviar? Damn, it's so good." Heather involuntarily let out a satisfied moan, making Naya feel a bit uncomfortable.

Naya had to clear her throat.

"How did you even get in?" Naya ignored the burning she felt on her cheeks.

"Found your invitation. I'm your plus one. Just let me do my thing and I'll leave you alone, okay? I just need to meet people who can help me with my writing career."

"Wow, you have no boundaries, do you?"

"I don't waste opportunities." With one last glare thrown at the brunette's direction, Heather walked away, leaving the empty flute on the table, her goal set to find someone who could help her with her writing career.

"Goodluck!" Naya threw her a fake smile and a wave.

Heather just winced. She had to get away from the brunette as far away as possible if she was going to get some luck because that girl had been nothing but bad luck for her. Just as she rounded a corner, she bumped into someone.

"Oh my god! I'm so-"

"Heather?"

Finally getting a good look of the guy who stopped her from falling on her ass and was still holding her, she couldn't help but smile.

"Mark! Wow, it's great to see you here."

"I told you I'd see you in California." He grinned, making a step back as he let her go.

"What a coincidence."

"Maybe it's fate." Mark said, shoving her hands into his pocket and smiling cheekily at her. Heather slightly blushed at the attempt at flirting.

"So, what are you doing here?" Heather looked on curiously. Their conversation back in Hawaii had been very short and they never really got the chance to get to know each other much. She felt so comfortable with Mark that she was just glad to have met him again.

"Part of the job. I work in the entertainment industry so I have to show up once in a while, keep up appearances, you know." Mark shrugged.

"You sound like you hate it."

"I don't hate it. I'm just so used to it that I don't even appreciate the perks anymore."

"Wanna swap?" Heather joked.

"It depends. What do you do?" He asked, playfully raising an eyebrow at her in curiousity.

"I'm a writer."

"Ever written anything I've seen?"

"Actually, I'm just starting. I'm writing something at the moment but I don't know who to show it to."

"Show it to me. I'm in film production."

Naya was still by the buffet table, trying out the caviar that Heather suggested. It was as good as Heather made it out to be that she had to taste it again. She kept looking around, making sure that the blonde wouldn't see her pigging out.

Well, she was caught alright, but not by the blonde she was expecting.

"Hey."

Naya stilled. She took a moment before she turned to see Dianna standing a few feet from her, looking anxious as she waited for the brunette's response.

"Hey." The actress returned the greeting.

They stood awkwardly for a few seconds, turning their eyes everywhere but each other.

"Uhm, about last week-"

"It's fine."

"I'm sorry."

There was another moment of awkward silence between them.

"I'll make it up to you. How about you come over tomorrow night? I'll make you dinner." Dianna gave her a tight-lipped smile. Naya just shook her head. She remained unmoving at a distance, and she wasn't planning on moving any closer. She was still pissed and while Dianna was being all sweet, she just wasn't ready to let it go yet.

If only the blonde knew why.

"You don't have to do that."

"I don't want you to be mad at me, NayNay."

"I'm not mad, just… Just give me some space, okay?"

"Are you getting tired of me?"

"No. I'm not getting tired of you."

"Well, you better not be because it looks like you'd be seeing more of me than you originally thought. I'm not moving to New York."

"You're not?" The actress was surprised. She almost smiled upon hearing that Dianna wasn't leaving but she was also intrigued. The realization hit her soon enough.

Mark Salling was back in LA and he was there to stay.

"I thought you didn't want me to leave."

"I don't. But is there a reason why you changed your mind?"

Dianna shrugged.

"Is it Mark?"

"Nay, can't you just be happy that I'm staying? I thought you'd be happy."

Naya turned her eyes away so she didn't have to see those pair of hazel eyes looking expectantly at her. Of course she was happy that Dianna wasn't moving away. It was Mark that she wasn't happy about. Why did Dianna have to center her life around Mark? He obviously didn't care for her like that.

Tonight's conversation was going nowhere, Dianna knew that. They would probably end up arguing again and the blonde wasn't going to allow that. The last thing she wanted was to aggravate this situation with Naya. She could just leave it for tonight and walk away. Maybe one of these days, the brunette would stop bugging her about Mark.

"I'll just see you around, okay?" The designer sighed as she walked away from Naya.

And Naya just let her.

"The girl made you dance, and you actually danced for her?" Mark was laughing hard as he listened to Heather's stories from grade school. Their conversation had turned from professional to personal, and the blonde felt so comfortable with him that she started sharing her funny experiences.

"Well, yeah." Heather was also laughing at herself.

"Did she threaten you or something?" Mark was now sitting with Heather on a bench, his flute of champagne long-forgotten beside him.

"No." The blonde was flushed due to embarrassment. She really had no defense.

"Was she taller than you, maybe bigger?"

"Neither."

"So why did you dance?"

"I don't know. I just did!" She was still laughing at the silliness of it.

"Wow, you're easy to persuade."

A ringing interrupted them. Heather realized it was her cellphone. Looking apologetically, she fished her iPhone from her purse and rolled her eyes upon seeing who it was.

"What?"

"_Hemo, where are you? Let's go home now."_

"I'm kind'a busy."

"_What could possibly keep you busy? Are you eating caviar again?"_

"I'm not that starved. Anyway, we didn't come here together. Why don't you just go ahead and leave me here?"

"_How are you going to get home?" _Naya knew that the blonde had car trouble earlier in the morning.

"I'd…" Heather paused, remembering that she took a cab coming over here. It cost her a lot and she didn't have enough money for a ride back. Her original plan was to catch a ride with Naya, whether she liked it or not, but she totally forgot about it. "Fine."

"_I'll wait for you by the buffet table."_

As Naya hung up, Heather turned to Mark with another apologetic smile.

"I have to go."

"Now?" Mark did not bother to hide the disappointment.

"My, uh, _friend_, says we have to leave, so… Maybe we'll see each other again next time?" Heather said, sounding hopeful. Mark seemed sincere in his offer to help, and the blonde could really use all the help that she could get.

"Why don't you call me, or drop by my office when you finished your script?" Mark pulled a card from his inside pocket and handed it to Heather.

"Oh, I will!" Heather grinned at Mark. She gave him an awkward handshake before walking away to find Naya.

Mark could not help himself. He watched the blonde walk away, a goofy smile plastered on his face. He had never had so much fun talking to someone before.

"Why are you doing this?"

He didn't have to turn to see whom that voice belongs to. Composing himself, he turned to face Dianna, who was looking livid standing before him.

"What?" Mark was genuinely confused.

"Are you trying to test my patience, how far you can push me?" Dianna crossed her arms defensively. She had been watching from afar, jealous that someone else was the cause of Mark's laughter. He never laughed like that with her.

"What do you mean?" He remained calm, knowing exactly where this confrontation was going. For so long, he had successfully avoided it.

Not this time.

"I have feelings for you." Dianna's voice trembled with the confession. Her eyes watered, remembering the times she watched as Mark took different girls home everytime they hung out at a club. All those times, she restrained herself, knowing her feelings were one-sided. Apparently, those efforts were futile.

Mark knew to avoid those pair of hazel eyes.

"I'm sorry you misunderstood, but I've always thought of you as my sister. You and Naya. She likes you so much. You look good together." He wasn't naïve. The way Naya cared about Dianna, the way she had always protected her ever since they were little, he knew what it meant.

"Is it because of Naya, because she likes me?"

Mark did not answer. When Dianna bolted, with the obvious purpose of looking for Naya, he immediately followed.

"Dianna!" He called after her, but there was no stopping the designer.

"I can't believe you're making me leave early. I was having a nice talk with Mark-"

"Mark?" Naya growled at the sound of Mark's name coming from Heather's mouth.

"He said he'd help me. Why, do you know him?" Heather did not get her answer as she heard Mark's voice calling for someone.

"Dianna, wait!" Mark desperately called for her childhood friend. But it was too late. He watched as Dianna grabbed Naya's arm, forcing the actress to face her.

The initial surprise was replaced by confusion as Naya whirled around, seeing Dianna, seething in front of her.

"Naya, do you have feelings for me?"

Dianna was holding on to Naya's arm and whether or not the blonde was realizing it, it was starting to hurt. Mark and Heather looked on at the confrontation, not knowing exactly what to do.

"Do you love me? Tell me right now."

Naya had never seen this demanding side of Dianna ever before. She was too shocked to even make a reply.

"Dianna…" Mark called at her, trying to calm down the blonde.

"Tell me right here and now. Tell me!"

The actress was vaguely aware of the growing crowd snooping around them. Who could blame them? This could be another juicy gossip involving Hollywood's notorious playgirl. That was far from Naya's concerns, though. All she could think of was Dianna, asking her if she had feelings for her.

How dare she? Dianna left her alone at the first-class restaurant she rented for the whole night just so she could propose. She did not even touch the ice cream where the engagement ring was. She did not even get to see the ring. Instead, she chose to be with Mark, who could care less about her.

And now Dianna wanted to know if Naya had feelings for her?

That was so not fair.

"I do… I have feelings for you…"

Call it defense mechanism, call it getting even. But Naya was hurt. So she did what nobody expected her to do.

"I love you, Heather."

Heather did not have time to react as she felt Naya's left hand on her neck, pulling her face closer to her own. By instinct, she closed her eyes. When she felt the pair of soft, plump lips against her own, her knees buckled. She would have fallen on the floor, if it wasn't for Naya's right hand on her waist, keeping her steady.

It happened all so fast, but Heather remembered the flashing of lights, Naya's warm breath on her face, and the way air was knocked out of her chest. The rest of the experience was too blurry.

Mark and Dianna watched with their mouths hanging open.

Heather could barely recall how she got out of the Vanity Fair party as she sat outside Kevin McHale's office, waiting for Naya to come out. They had been screaming at each other for the last five minutes, and Heather could not figure out a word they were saying.

"Where did this girl even come from? I've never seen her before and now you gave her a ring? Your games are getting more extreme, Naya. You could have just stuck to your playgirl ways, and now you had to promise marriage to get some?" Kevin looked at his friend in disbelief. For the first time since stepping into his office, Naya showed an emotion. She seemed surprised at the mention of marriage.

Kevin picked up his iPad and shoved it into Naya's hands. When the actress looked at the picture taken by the paparazzi and posted on the TMZ website, her eyes narrowed. She didn't notice it before but on Heather's hand was an engagement ring that eerily resembled that ring she threw a few days ago.

The ring that she warned Heather about.

Dianna's ring.

_Well, fuck._

The paparazzi snapped a photo of her kissing Heather, with the blonde wearing the ring meant for Dianna. That's. Just. Great.

This faux affair just reached a whole new level.

"There are already polls on some internet sites and people are betting on how long before you'd break this engagement. You're trending on twitter, in case you didn't know!" To say Kevin was furious is an understatement.

Naya was sitting opposite Kevin's table, looking bored. When her agent turned, this time, his laptop for her to see what he was talking about, the brunette just lifted her hands to check her nails; her attitude driving Kevin even crazier.

"Naya, please, if you're going to break this girl's heart, please tell us now so we could prepare what to do to save your rep. Directors are already inclined to believe that you're irresponsible, which is the exact opposite of truth, actually. You're the most professional person I know. But we can't help it if they associate your philandering ways with irresponsibility, Naya. They think it's childish, and immature, and-" Amber, Naya's manager, did not get to finish her lecture.

"Well, I guess this is your lucky day then because that's all about to change." Naya calmly got up from her seat, heading for the door.

"What? So, you're serious about this? You really are marrying this girl?" Kevin could not believe his ears.

"Aren't you glad that there's not going to be anymore scandals in the future?" Naya said as she pushed the glass door open, walking out and leaving a gaping manager and agent behind.

As soon as the door closed, and Kevin and Amber recovered from shock, Kevin picked up the phone.

"Call her PR. I'm setting up a press conference." He ordered Amber, who nodded in agreement.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

The ride back to the house had been awfully quiet. Heather and Naya retreated to their respective bedrooms without a word. Heather finally recovered from the haze of what just happened, and was becoming slightly irritated that Naya still ignored her. She paced her room, thinking. They had to talk about what happened, right? There's got to be some conversation about it.

Well, the blonde was intent on finding out.

Naya was just getting into a fresh pair of boxer shorts when Heather barged into the brunette's room, surprising both of them. The actress fell on her ass as she rushed to get the shorts on while Heather hit her forehead on the door as she immediately turned in embarrassment.

_Ouch._

"Don't you knock?" Naya scrambled to pull her shorts up while still lying on the floor.

"Is there anything you want to say to me?" Heather said, her back still turned on Naya.

"About what?" Now properly dressed in shorts and tank top, she got up from the floor, wincing as she felt the pain on her butt. That was going to hurt for a while. "I'm dressed, you can turn around now."

Heather did.

"Are you seriously asking me that? You must have something to say to me after what you did earlier. You can't do anything that you want with me. I'm not your slave."

Naya stared at Heather for a while, making the blonde a bit uncomfortable under her gaze. She contemplated the whole situation. That is actually what she had been doing since leaving Kevin's office.

"I'll give you this house back, if it means that much you. After all, it is your parents' home. You grew up here." The striking brunette sounded patronizing as she looked intently at the blonde, both of them standing in her bedroom.

Naya didn't get an answer right away. She held the reproachful look being thrown her way by the not-so-pleased Heather Morris.

"What's the catch?" Heather didn't even bother to hide the distrust in her voice.

"Marry me."

Heather's eyes widened. If she'd been drinking anything, she would've died choking.

"Excuse me?" The blonde managed to squeak out after her shock. The proposal was anything but romantic. It was spoken in the most nonchalant tone possible. She didn't know whether to be flattered or angry.

Naya made it sound like it was an ordinary thing for her. Did marriage mean nothing to the brunette at all?

Naya rolled her eyes at the blonde's reaction.

"I said, let's get married."

"Are you high?" It was the craziest suggestion she'd ever heard. They kissed. That definitely didn't mean they had to marry each other. Where was this even coming from?

"Do you want your house back or not?" The brunette was clearly starting to get annoyed when she didn't get the response she wanted. Her impatience clear in the tone of her voice.

"The answer to that question is easy. I don't understand why you're talking about marriage with me though."

"Hollywood exploded with the news of our engagement tonight. Haven't you heard?"

"Engagement?"

"Thanks for wearing my engagement ring when I told you to leave it alone, by the way", came brunette's acerbic response. This situation was really frustrating for her. Sure, it was her fault that they got the attention of every news/gossip crew and paparazzi at the party when she kissed Heather out of nowhere to get out of a certain situation. But there wouldn't have been any mention of an engagement if it weren't for Heather's foolishness. She wore the ring, meant for Dianna, that Naya had thrown away two days ago.

"Oh, so you're blaming me, then? You kissed me." Heather's thoughts went back to what happened at the party, and now, just couldn't believe the shameless proposition. How could someone propose marriage that easily?

"You enjoyed it." Naya shrugged with a self-satisfied look on her face. Heather couldn't help but roll her eyes. Sure, Naya's plump lips were way beyond kissable and she had thought about kissing Naya before—just to know how it would feel. But her annoyance with Naya's over-the-top narcissism still trumped the physical attraction.

"Your ego seems to occupy the biggest portion of your brain."

"Look, I've been involved in too many scandals this year and my PR is on my ass telling me that it's a bit too much, even for me."

"I'm sorry, but I think I missed the part that involves me."

"We're engaged. Or at least that's what people are thinking now. The gossip sites are already making up polls asking fans to vote how long they think I could last before I actually call off the engagement. I'm not going to give them that satisfaction."

"Why not tell the world the truth?"

"Explaining that kiss and how that ring found its way to your finger would be tricky. And I don't think that would help diffuse the situation. And if you think that telling people about my failed proposal to Dianna would be the solution, you must be delusional."

"If you really wanted to propose to her, why didn't you? She might have said yes."

"She doesn't love me that way."

Dianna was in love with Mark. She had been for a very long time.

Naya let out a defeated sigh.

"I'm sick of the scandals. I'm sick of the bad publicity. Half of them may be true but I'm not all that bad. I'm not as notorious as they make me out to be."

"I don't see how marriage would help you. Or me, for that matter." Observant blue eyes remained fixed on the brunette, who seemed resigned to the idea of marriage.

"We'll let people believe that we're in love with each other and we'll live in this house together. They'd think I'd gone soft since I'm finally settling down."

"But I don't even like you and I can't stand you."

"I'm an actress and a good one at that. I don't think you're that bad."

"Are you trying to get into my pants, Rivera? Divas are not really my type."

"Don't flatter yourself because I don't care much about you either. There's not going to be any funny business, we'll just pretend. We'll even have separate rooms. If you can do that for a year, then I'll give you this house back. No questions asked." Brown eyes remained unblinking, locked with a pair of blues, expecting a response.

The proposal earned the actress a wary and suspicious look from the blonde, so she continued.

"One year and then we'll get a divorce. I'll give you this house back as alimony. I'll move out and disappear from your life forever. All you have to do is say yes."

"That's tempting, but I don't really trust you." Blue eyes narrowed at Naya.

"I guess the feeling is mutual. But since we've already gotten ourselves into this mess, we might as well go all out, for both our benefits. It's a win-win situation."

"Correction, _you_ got us into this."

Heather crossed her arms, her mind going through the advantages and disadvantages of marrying Naya Rivera and staying with her for a year.

Getting her parents' house back doesn't sound so bad. She wouldn't have to pay a cent (that she doesn't even have) and her house wasn't exactly cheap. It'd probably take her more than ten years to pay for it, and she was sure Naya wasn't interested in selling it back to her anyway.

Besides, being 'married' to a Hollywood A-lister with big connections might help with her writing career.

Also, she might actually be able to help the infamous playgirl.

"What would your agent say when we finally get a divorce?" Heather asked. Naya was apparently doing this for her career and her image. But what would happen after the divorce?

"I'm sure Kevin would find a way to make me look like a heartbroken divorcee and work it to my benefit."

"I need a contract."

"Contract?"

"I need proof."

"Proof?"

"I need a black and white document that this set-up will be over in a year and that you wouldn't go back on your promise."

"Like I'd stay married to you beyond that period, anyways. I'd barely survive one year!" Naya rolled her eyes at the blonde.

"This isn't really the time for insults, Naya." Blue eyes narrowed with a warning at the actress.

"Fine. Make a contract. I don't care... Just don't fall in love with me." Naya crossed her arms.

"Me, falling in love with you? Do you even hear yourself?"

"I saw you checking me out at that party."

"Ugh, you're insufferable!" Heather felt her face burning in embarrassment having been caught. She wouldn't admit to it anyway. She caught a lopsided smirk forming on Naya's face. Oh how she wanted to wipe the smugness off that gorgeous brunette.

"Just make the damn contract, will you?"

It was past midnight and both Heather and Naya were still awake as they sat opposite each other on the dining table, each holding a pen and writing on a piece of paper. Naya had only written one sentence, while Heather managed to fill her own with a very long list.

"Is this even legal?" Naya asked as she stretched her arms, yawning in the process.

"Probably not. But at least I have something to blackmail you with if you ever turn your back on this agreement." Heather grinned at the brunette.

Naya looked uninterested as she rested her chin on the palm of her right hand. She couldn't wait to get this over with.

"Just give me your terms." The actress yawned again.

"Okay. One, we have to respect each other's privacy."

"Fine."

"Two, neither can demand physical intimacy."

Naya scoffed.

"As if."

"Three, this contract shall expire after a period of one year, from today. And four, the ownership of this house will revert back to Heather, after the expiration of the contract."

"Anything else?"

"I have nothing else."

"Okay. Five, knowledge of third party nullifies the contract."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Where do we sign?"

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Heather had been driving around town looking for a job. She was going to lose all of her savings if she wouldn't be able to find a replacement for her teaching job at Harry's dance studio. Her friends were still missing and their numbers were still unreachable. Despite of how mad she was at them at the moment, she hoped that nothing bad had happened to them.

If she had a choice, she would still prefer to teach dance, but there weren't many opportunities like that in Eagle Rock. None of the other dance studios were hiring. Well, maybe she would just had to wait and for the meantime, that waitressing job near Harry's dance studio might do.

As she passed the studio on her way to her job interview, by habit, her eyes flickered to the direction of the studio. She stepped on the brakes.

The dance studio was open, and Harry and Jenna's cars were parked outside.

Someone's getting their revenge today.

Without wasting another second, Heather pulled her crappy car into a park and as she got out, she literally ran, making sure that her friends wouldn't have time to hide from her again if ever they saw her approach.

Harry and Jenna jumped in surprise as the doors to the studio were harshly pushed open.

Upon seeing Heather seething, Chinese eyes widened in fear.

Next thing Harry knew, Heather was pouncing on him, punching him, while Jenna was trying to pacify the angry blonde.

"Heather! Stop! You're killing him!" Jenna pleaded as she tried her best to pull her friend away from her boyfriend.

"That's the plan!" Heather just couldn't contain herself. She didn't want them arrested but she was ready to kill Harry right at that moment.

Ironic.

"I'm sorry, Heather! Ouch! When did you get so strong?" Harry was trying to dodge the punches.

"Sorry? That's all you can say? You sold my house!" Heather punched him on the stomach.

"Oww! Let me explain!"

"Where the hell is my money?"

Harry managed to pry himself away from Heather's grasp and, pulling Jenna with him, tried to shield themselves from the blonde's rage behind the reception counter.

"First, you have to know how sorry we are, Heather." Harry was panting.

"Yeah, well, that's not gonna cut it, Shum. Give me the fucking money you got from selling my father's house so I could get it back." Heather stood glaring at her friends, her hands planted on her hips.

"We don't have it." Jenna replied, looking really scared.

"What?" Heather's eyebrow shot up.

"I'm… pregnant." A shy smile formed in Jenna's face. She turned to her boyfriend, who gave her a smile in return.

"Yeah, we're having a baby." Harry confirmed.

Heather stood dumbfounded, letting her eyes shift back and forth to Harry and Jenna.

"Oh… No, no, don't look at me with those puppy eyes. Just because you're having a baby, that wouldn't change the fact that I'm so mad at you right now."

"We sold your house so I could protect my family." Harry hurriedly said before Heather could interrupt him again.

Heather looked in confusion.

"The money that we used to build this dance studio came from a loan shark." Harry elaborated with a sigh. "To cut the story short, we weren't able to pay the installments and the interest blew up until we couldn't pay. We don't have enough clients or dance classes to earn enough for the payment. They didn't want the studio, they want the money. We were threatened that if we don't pay up, something's going to happen to Jenna. We're having a baby, Heather. I didn't know what to do. I had to protect my family."

"So you sold _my_ house?"

"It was enough to cover our debt… If I sold the studio, it still wouldn't be enough. We're going to pay you, Heather. I don't know when, but we will. I promise." Harry said.

Heather knew that her friend was genuinely sorry, but what they did still wasn't right.

"You couldn't just come to me for help?"

"We weren't thinking. We're really sorry, Heather." Jenna said.

"Why did you hide?" Heather crossed her arms, taking a few steps closer to her friends. If the situation wasn't so serious, she would have laughed at seeing them flinch. She had never been the scary type.

"We couldn't face you, after what we did to you." Harry admitted.

"So why did you come back?"

"Well, we've got to do something to actually raise the money to pay you back." It was only then that Heather noticed Harry's arms protectively wrapped around Jenna.

"You're opening the studio again?" A flicker of hope twinkled in Heather's blue eyes.

"Yes."

"I'll tell you what. I'm not going to kill you right now on two conditions."

"Okay." For the first time since the blonde came in the studio, Harry looked relieved.

"One, you're going to give me my teaching job back and two, the profits of this studio will be split 50-50." The blonde wasn't really giving her friends a choice.

Harry and Jenna exchanged looks. It was fair. They could only imagine what Heather went through after discovering that she lost her house.

"Deal." Harry grinned, extending his hand for Heather to shake.

Heather took his hand and shook it.

"So, uhm, if you don't mind me asking, where have you been staying?" Jenna asked her curiously. She had seen the news and had an idea with whom.

"I'm still living at the house, actually."

"What? How? I mean, we sold it." Harry was puzzled.

"It was Naya who bought it."

"Yeah, about that… I didn't know you were dating Naya Rivera. She was always portrayed to be the player kind of girl. When did you start dating her? I didn't even know you knew her." Harry asked.

"Wait, you're living with her now?" Jenna looked surprised.

"Honey, they are getting married."

"So I heard. Heather, are you sure about this? She doesn't seem to be the type who would commit." Jenna turned to Heather with concern.

Heather could feel her face warm in embarrassment.

"You know what? I forgot that I have to meet Naya at Beverly Hills today. I should leave now." As Heather reached the door, she warned her friends over her shoulder. "This place better be open and you better be here when I get back tomorrow!"

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Naya was impatiently tapping her high-heeled shoes on the floor backstage as she and Kevin waited for Heather to come out of the dressing room. It was the day that Kevin set up for the press conference to officially announce her and Hemo's engagement.

"What's taking her so long?"

"Relax. She would be out any minute now." Kevin reassured Naya.

Naya just scowled. She was about to dial Heather's number on her phone when she saw movement in the corner of her eye. When she looked at the direction, her jaw dropped.

Heather was standing awkwardly in a short yellow dress, looking shy. Her hair was down in soft, big curls. The make-up in her face looked natural.

"Do I look funny? I do, don't I?" Heather said anxiously after seeing the way Naya was gaping at her.

Realizing that she had been staring, Naya turned her eyes away and cleared her throat.

"You look like someone else." The brunette replied with indifference. Kevin just snickered, noticing the hard-to-trace blush in his friend's face.

"You look great. If you think the questions are difficult, just look at me, or Naya." Kevin smiled at Heather, before walking ahead of them, leading them to the door.

The blonde was surprised when she felt Naya's warm hands holding her own. Before she could say anything about it, the door was pushed open, and lights started flashing. She felt Naya squeeze her hand, and she let the brunette pull her into the room full of press people.

Heather was so nervous, she barely heard the words Kevin said when the conference began. She could hear Naya talking on her right, and felt the reassuring squeeze of her hand every few minutes.

"We met on the plane. She looked so nervous so I was asking her if it was her first time." Naya gave her a loving smile, which Heather managed to return despite the trembling of her cheek muscles.

"How did you capture the wild heart of Naya Rivera?" A male reporter from the audience asked, looking at Heather.

She didn't answer right away, not knowing what to say. Her eyes found Kevin who smiled at her, looking supportive. And when her eyes locked with Naya's brown eyes, there was that loving look again. It looked so genuine that Heather was speechless for a moment.

"I'm sorry, my fiancée is all new to this." Naya said apologetically to the press before turning her attention back to the blonde, whispering (but intentionally making it decipherable). "Babe, they are asking you how you managed to capture my wild heart." Naya let out that charming laugh.

Heather blushed at the term of endearment.

"I'm not sure." Heather finally managed to answer, still looking very nervous.

"She probably doesn't know how lovable she is." Naya lifted their hands that had been intertwined since they came in, and kissed the back of Heather's, generating a loud 'aww' from the press.

Heather felt her ears burning. They were surely red right now.

"Why rush the marriage?" Another question from the press.

"You know, when I first saw her, I knew right then. I knew that she was the one. She has amazing blue eyes that every time I look at them, I couldn't help but wonder how I managed to last this long without her in my life. She's my soulmate, and I am hers. I want to protect her, and care for her always. So why not marry her now? I love her so much."

There was another loud 'aww' from the press.

"I love you, Hemo."

Imagine Heather's surprise when Naya moved her head closer, her lips aiming for her own. When plump lips met hers and started moving gently, coaxing her to return the kiss, the blonde lost all willpower and despite her reservations, she kissed back.

The flashing of lights was blinding.

If circumstances had been different, Heather knew, she would have fallen in love with Naya Rivera right then.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Naya was surprised to find an empty (and dirty) house the following day. She had just come home from a meeting with Kevin and Amber. Her agent and manager had been so happy with the positive result of the press conference. People seemed to love the idea of the notorious playgirl settling down with the lovely blonde.

If they only knew half of it.

When Naya couldn't find Heather, she picked up her phone and dialed the blonde's number. The blonde answered on the second ring.

"Where in the world are you? You left the mop on the floor. The whole house is in disarray!"Naya yelled before Heather could even say hi.

"_Why are you yelling? I'll clean the house when I get back. If you can't wait, then do it yourself." _Heather grumbled in response.

"You didn't even leave a note. Just tell me where you are and I'll pick you up."

"_I'm on my way to Valencia."_

"Valencia?" Naya frowned. What could Heather be possibly doing in her hometown?

"_Your parents want to meet me." _The blonde sounded nervous. She was currently sitting anxiously inside the black BMW that came earlier that morning and picked her up, driven by the Rivera family driver, on their way to the Rivera home.

Naya's eyes widened in realization.

_Well, shit._


	4. Family Matters

**A/N: **I can assure you one thing. **This is a story of HeYa's journey to falling in love**. So this will be a rollercoaster ride of romance, humor, fluff, jealousy, and definitely angst**. **

Thank you for reading and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did when I wrote it.

**CHAPTER 3**

**FAMILY MATTERS**

Heather Morris had never been so scared in her life.

No one had ever scared Heather this much. Not even the robber that broke into her home that one time.

It was almost two years ago when she woke up to crashing sounds and realized that she wasn't alone in her house. Thank god for quick thinking and her ability to stay calm, she managed to call 911 and before the help even arrived, she impulsively tried to stop the bearded robber on her own, stupidly believing that she could actually take him down with her slight training in kung fu. She got a few bruises from that struggle. He was bigger than her; he did scare her. But that ordeal did not even compare to what she was in right now.

Well, bearded robber guy wasn't Naya's grandmother.

In the plush living room of the Rivera home in Valencia, the blonde sat awkwardly and anxiously opposite the old Hispanic woman. Her stomach was in knots and sooner or later she was going to puke her guts out, unless grandma tears her appraising eyes away from her.

Grandma Rivera was scaring the shit out of the blonde.

That's an understatement.

She never thought she'd wish it ever, but she wished Naya was there with her right now, more than ever.

"You're Heather, right?"

That was the first time she actually noticed the darker woman sitting next to the intimidating one. She recognized her as Naya's mother, mostly because her smile was so similar as that of her daughter's, and because of the press photos.

Yolanda Rivera's smile was a breath of fresh air and she couldn't help but return it.

"Yes, mam. I'm Heather." The blonde nodded. She saw Grandma Rivera shaking her head, looking disappointed. As to why, she couldn't think of a reason. That's the first time she actually spoke.

"Please, call me Yolanda. Or better yet, you can start calling me mom. I'm Naya's mother. And this is Maria, Naya's grandmother." Mom's chuckle sounded like Naya's, and Hemo's smile grew wider.

"How old are you?"

Heather's eyes snapped back to the direction of Naya's grandmother. While Naya got her mother's smile, it was obvious that her strong features were courtesy of the Rivera genes. Grandma's facial expression matched that of her granddaughter's. She would have laughed at the uncanny resemblance, if grandma wasn't giving her that look.

"Uhm, I'm 25." Heather's reply was so soft, she barely heard herself.

"And what do your parents do?"

The blonde thought of those cop shows she sometimes watch and could only place herself in the position of their suspects. Mom and grandma were playing good cop-bad cop. It sucked feeling like the bad guy.

"My father died a long time ago." Heather turned her eyes away from grandma's prying ones. Thinking about her father always made her sad and she didn't want these people who are practically strangers to her to see her vulnerable.

"I'm sorry, sweety." Mom said in apology.

She didn't see grandma's eyes soften. But she did notice the change in her tone when the older Rivera asked her again.

"Where's your mother?"

Heather's eyes darted towards Naya's mom before settling back to meet grandma's chocolate brown ones.

_God, even their eyes are so alike._

"I don't know where she is. I, uh… never seen her for a long time."

There it was; that look of disappointment again. Heather was barely 10 minutes in the company of Naya's family and none of the few things she ever said seemed enough to get a smile from the matriarch of the Rivera family. Well, she was aware that this marriage was going to be a disaster from the very first time Naya came up with the idea. And that was even before she realized that there was going to be a set of in-laws to impress.

What Heather wasn't aware of was that Grandma Rivera was very traditional. Granted, she accepted her granddaughter's sexual orientation wholeheartedly (what, Naya was her favorite and she loved Naya too much), but she believed in the sanctity of marriage and the importance of family, thus, the displeasure.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

"Where did you graduate?" Grandma continued with her interrogation with that stern look plastered on her face.

Heather started feeling the beads of sweat forming on the side of her forehead. She tried to hold grandma's stare, while in the corner of her eye, she could make out the amused smile on Yolanda's lips. If there was something funny about this situation, she couldn't see it. All she knew was that she was going to faint if her heartbeat doesn't slow down in the next few minutes.

She'd rather face that bearded robber again than be here right now.

"I didn't finish college..." Heather felt so embarrassed having to discuss her education.

Maria grimaced. Just like her only son, George (Naya's dad), she valued education above all else and was disenchanted when Naya dropped out of Brown University to be an actress. But she was faster to forgive Naya. She had a very soft spot for her granddaughter and decided to just support her in her chosen career. Anyway, she still had other grandchildren, Naya's younger siblings; Mychal who recently started medical school in Johns Hopkins and Nickayla, on her pre-law at Columbia.

"Why didn't you study further?"

"Mother-"

"Shush, I just want to know."

Well, Heather was sure it was something that grandma wouldn't want to know. She hated school. She just wanted to write and dance. She felt school was just holding her back. So that's at least one thing she had in common with her future wife; they were both drop-outs.

"I wasn't very good in school. I didn't think it was for me." The blonde felt so small during that moment, so she pried her eyes away from Maria. Maybe if she stopped looking, grandma would do the same.

"I heard you're a dance teacher?" There it was, Yolanda's friendly voice; the only thing helping Heather to stay calm and not run away.

"Yeah, I've been teaching dance for a living. But I'm trying my hands on screenwriting and I hope to finish my manuscript sometime in the next six months." The blonde looked up to meet Yolanda's reassuring smile.

"I'm sure it's going to be great. You have an inspiration now. Maybe Naya can help you pitch it to those important Hollywood people."

_Yeah, not gonna happen._

Naya would probably have a kick out of distracting her.

Grandma cleared her throat, getting Heather's attention back. She looked miffed for having been ignored. Although her features had noticeably softened.

"Is it true you had been living with Naya?" Grandma asked her again.

The blonde knew what the right answer to that was. But she couldn't exactly lie.

"Uhm, yes?" Heather did not realize she held her breath. She watched the unreadable expression on grandma's face before she heard the woman let out a sigh.

Yolanda had been trying her best to hold back her laughter, watching her mother-in-law and Naya's fiancée. Maria was giving Heather a hard time and the look on the blonde's face had been priceless. She felt sympathetic that her future daughter-in-law had to go through Maria's grilling, but hey, she went through it before and everyone who wants to get it on with a Rivera would have to pass Maria's test.

This was Heather's turn.

It seemed that her daughter forgot to warn her fiancée about this though.

"Of course you are. That granddaughter of mine. She probably wouldn't want to let you out of her sight. I have never seen her so in love before." Maria shook her head. For the first time since meeting the blonde, Maria's posture relaxed.

That wasn't what piqued Heather's interest though.

_In love?_

Heather's eyebrows knitted in confusion.

When Maria learned of Naya's engagement on TV, she made sure to watch the press conference in full. She was surprised, but glad that her granddaughter found someone to tie her down. That was what surprised her more. She didn't approve of Naya's long list of lovers and being the religious person that she is, prayed for someone to save her granddaughter from such miserable lifestyle.

Well, her prayers had been answered, it seemed. Because the look on her granddaughter's face that day that she told her fiancée on TV that she loves her, that was something she never thought she'd see. Naya looked so happy, and she was happy for her.

"Do you love her?"

"Excuse me?" Heather squeaked. She knew she was blushing because of that burning feeling on her cheeks.

"My granddaughter, do you love her?" Maria repeated her question, this time, more seriously, as if the blonde's answer was going to be the most important one she'd ever hear in her life.

Heather looked at Yolanda again, before turning back to meet Maria's eyes; eyes that so resembled Naya's. They were looking expectantly at her, hopeful. Maria scared her to death, and she thought of how the old woman would feel if she told her the truth. For some reason, she couldn't bear the thought.

She was never good at lying.

But, she would try her best.

She tried to think of something, anything that was good about Naya, or being with Naya. Her mind went back to the press conference, to Naya's soft voice, her soft hand, the looks of 'love', and her lips…

She knew that she was blushing just by the warm feeling on her cheeks.

"When we first held hands, the first thing I thought was her hand was molded to perfectly fit mine. I didn't realize it until later, but we were thinking the same thing. Just as Naya said, she's my soulmate and I am hers. I love her… with everything that I am."

Then she realized what she had just said.

Looking flustered more than ever, she mentally gave herself a pat on the back, having surpassed her own expectations. That was one hell of a line that would make an awesome dialogue in a movie. She made a mental note to write that down later.

_I should have been an actress. _

"Come here." Maria beckoned the blonde to come to her open arms.

"Huh?" Confused, the blonde turned to Yolanda for an answer, who just smiled at her with an encouraging nod. She shifted her eyes back to grandma, who still wasn't looking very friendly but eager to have her close.

_Oh no, she's going to smother me…_

"Come here. I'm going to hug you."

Heather just stared at Maria, wondering if it was supposed to be a joke or not.

"Well, come here you silly child. I don't have all day."

"Actually, you do have all day, Mother." Yolanda joked with her mother-in-law.

Maria just shrugged and waited as Heather reluctantly got up from the couch, her steps towards her, unsure. When finally, Heather was near enough, Maria pulled her close for one tight hug that she awkwardly returned.

"She's not going to stab me in the back, is she?" Heather whispered at Yolanda, still with grandma's arms around her shoulders.

"No. Her nails are too short." Yolanda giggled as Heather's eyes widened.

"You know I can both hear you, right?" Maria pulled away, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Yeah, I'd still want to know, if you don't mind." Heather finally found the courage to joke back, after seeing the smile on grandma's face for the first time.

She's still scared of grandma though.

The slamming of the door made everyone jump. At first, Heather thought it was Naya's father. Well, that would be another scary encounter and she didn't know if she could go through another petrifying interrogation. She was relieved when Naya walked into the living room.

But the brunette looked totally pissed.

"I told you I'd bring her soon. Why did you drag her here?" Naya didn't bother to hide her anger. She walked straight towards Heather and grabbed her hand. When she pulled, Heather almost lost her balance.

Naya ignored the glare Heather threw her way.

"No one dragged anyone." Yolanda answered defensively. They really just wanted to meet Heather and they couldn't wait any longer. Her daughter was being her stubborn self and would probably wait a day before the wedding day to introduce Heather.

"Naya, why is it so hard to see you?" Maria got up from her seat, reaching out for her granddaughter but Naya was already dragging her fiancée to the door.

"I'm sorry grandma but we really have to go. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? You too, mom. And I'll see you at the wedding."

"But Naya-"

"Hemo, let's go." Naya's grip on Heather's wrist was tight.

"What's your problem? Let me go." Heather tried to pry her hand away but Naya was too strong and she was in a rush to leave. When it was obvious that she couldn't do anything, she stopped struggling and just turned her head, and waved goodbye at her future in-laws with a smile.

They seemed concerned.

Before they could reach Naya's white Range Rover, they ran into the brunette's father, Dr. George Rivera III. Naya stopped, rear-ending Heather. The blonde watched in curiosity as father and daughter stared wordlessly at each other.

Naya was first to look away.

Heather felt being pulled again and when she passed Dr. Rivera, their eyes met.

"Goodbye, sir." Heather managed to choke out before Naya practically shoved her into the Range Rover. The man just gave her a nod.

Heather watched Dr. Rivera's reflection on the side mirror as Naya drove away.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

"Is that why you're rushing to leave? Were you avoiding your dad?" Heather asked as she sat on the passenger seat. Naya was driving them back to Eagle Rock and the brunette hadn't said a word since they left Valencia.

"What did grandma say to you? Did she yell at you?" Naya steered the conversation away.

"No. She was really scary though." Heather pondered about her encounter with the old woman.

"Yeah, if she ever said any hurtful things, just don't mind them."

"You know, I never pictured you with a family."

"What?" Naya frowned. Was that supposed to be a joke?

"Well, who would be patient enough around you? You're always so full of yourself, acting like you're a divine being or something."

Naya just sulked in the driver's seat, hoping Heather would get the hint and just stop talking.

"Why is your relationship with your father so bad?" The blonde turned with a curious look. She felt the tension between Naya and her dad, despite the absence of words.

"Can we not talk?" The brunette ignored the question. She was apparently annoyed.

"Well, I want to talk." Heather crossed her arms, aware of Naya's temper and she just didn't care.

"I don't."

"You're lucky you still have a father. Why are you wasting your time trying to get away from him? He obviously cares about you." Heather did catch the defeated look and the flash of hurt on Dr. Rivera's face when Naya walk past him. Naya, on the other hand, was either a fantastic actress or just genuinely indifferent.

Heather believed it was the former.

"You know nothing about my relationship with him so shut up." Tanned hands gripped tighter on the steering wheel.

"You should be nice to him, and your mom and grandma as well. You don't know how much more time you'll have with them."

"I told you to be quiet. You're really testing my patience here." Naya knew she was reaching her limit and silently, she wished Heather would just leave it.

"You have to listen sometimes instead of just getting mad. You can be such a jerk to people."

"I'm a what?" The actress could not believe her ears. Hemo, the person she had only met a few weeks ago, actually had the nerve to judge her.

"I don't know if you noticed how you're being, or if you're doing it purposely. But either way, it's not cool. Your mom and grandmother were so happy to see you but you just had to force me out of there, didn't you? That was rude. You didn't even say goodbye."

"That's it." Naya suddenly pulled to a stop on the side of the road. She glared at the blonde, who just looked at her in confusion. "Get out of the car." The brunette growled.

"What?"

"I said get out of the car! You don't know anything about me so why should I listen to anything that you say?"

Heather looked at Naya in disbelief, but the brunette wouldn't even look at her now. She shook her head in frustration.

"Fine." Heather huffed in response and got out of the Ranger Rover, slamming the door shut. As soon as the door closed, Naya sped away.

Then she realized she didn't have her purse or her wallet. When the Rivera family driver came to pick her up, she had to rush and left only with her phone, assuming that she would be driven back home. Well, that was the plan until Naya came in being all high and mighty to drag her home.

Now Heather was alone, standing on the side of a road still outside Eagle Rock without money for a cab, nor her phone to call for one. She left her phone on the couch in their haste to leave. Hitchhiking was probably the only option she had, but she had seen the movie and again, she'd rather face bearded robber guy for the second time.

_Walk, then._

The blonde sighed. It's going to be a long afternoon.

Heather knew she shouldn't have been so nosy, knowing Naya's temper. They weren't exactly friends. Sure, they were getting married but it was just a business arrangement. But she felt obligated to do something. It was a need. And she couldn't explain it.

Naya watched on the rear view mirror as Heather's reflection became smaller as she drove away. The guilt was immediate as soon as the blonde slammed the door closed, but Naya was too proud to say anything about it. So she did what she does best; she walked away. Or in this case, drove away.

It took her two minutes before her conscience got to her and forced her to make a U-turn at a one-way street just to cut down the time to get back. She drove the fastest and ignored the speed limits, hoping she'd find Heather where she left her, waiting.

Her heart sank upon finding that Hemo was gone.

If something bad happens, she knew she'd only blame herself.

_Oh god, please let her be safe, please…_

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

"I'm going to have beautiful great-grandchildren." The smile on Maria's face was so wide, you'd think she was a different person than the one interrogating Heather a while ago. Her future granddaughter-in-law was good-looking, and she wasn't complaining.

The Rivera women were having their afternoon tea in the dining room. They had removed themselves from the living room where George, Naya's father, decided to plant himself on the couch with his newspaper. He looked so grumpy and they knew better to stay away from him.

"Mother, I think you scared her too much." Yolanda nodded in agreement, and laughing after she took a sip on her cup of tea.

"Well, she should have visited us before they made that public announcement. I'm still hurt that we had to find out from the press. I wanted to meet my future granddaughter-in-law. Is that too much to ask?"

"Maybe we should have told Naya that we were going to invite her fiancée over."

"You shouldn't have invited her at all." Dr. Rivera came marching into the dining room with an unfamiliar cellphone on his hand. He placed it on top of the table near his wife.

Yolanda just looked confused.

"I think that belongs to you previous guest." He picked up the coffee maker and poured himself a cup.

"She's our soon-to-be daughter-in-law, George. Don't you want to get to know her?" Yolanda looked at her husband in disbelief.

"If Naya wanted her to meet us, she would have brought her home herself." He settled beside his mother and kept avoiding their eyes.

"You know how she is." Yolanda said in defense of her daughter.

"Yes. She's too stubborn and too proud for her own good."

"Like father like daughter." Grandma pointed out.

The doctor did not say anything back. He knew that it was the truth. He had always seen himself in Naya, though he wouldn't openly admit it.

"Heather was lovely. A little rough around the edges, but you would have liked her." Maria smiled at her son.

"I saw her."

"You did?"

"She's pretty."

Maria turned to Yolanda, and George saw the meaningful look that was exchanged between the two women. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, knowing fully-well what that gesture meant. They were going to ask him for something, and he had a feeling that he wouldn't like it.

"What?" George prodded. When neither his mother nor wife answered, he continued. "You want something, I know it. What is it?" He urged them to answer.

Yolanda cleared her throat. She didn't know how she was going to ask what they planned to ask her husband.

"Well… Mother wants to say something."

It was funny how the old Hispanic woman's eyes widened, totally dreading to be the one to tell her son what she and Yolanda had agreed upon just a while ago. She really liked Heather for Naya, more than she let the blonde know.

"I thought you were going to tell him." Maria turned to Naya's mom in disbelief.

"You're his mother, he'd listen to you."

"Will either of you just cut to the chase and tell me what it is?" Dr. Rivera growled at them.

"Heather doesn't have anyone to walk her down the aisle." Maria replied.

George just gave his mother a questioning look.

"I don't know who's going to be walking and who's going to be waiting but knowing my granddaughter, she probably would be the latter. And we found out that Heather's father is dead, and well…" Maria turned helplessly at Yolanda who just gave her an encouraging look.

"Well..?"

"We thought it would be nice if you walk her down the aisle." Grandma finished, eliciting a suspicious look from her son.

"Did she want me to walk her down the aisle?"

"Well, she didn't exactly say it but-"

George got up from his seat with his cup, heading for the study. But before he was finally out of the dining room, he managed spat out-

"Naya didn't tell us she was getting married. What made you think she'd want me to walk her fiancée down the aisle?"

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

It was starting to get dark and Naya's efforts to find Heather had been unsuccessful. She tried calling the blonde but imagine her surprise when it was her grandmother who answered. She had to listen to Maria's rants about her being too busy and got lectured for her failure to share the news of her engagement ahead of the rest of the world.

She also got chastised for dragging her 'fiancée' out earlier that day.

Maria was right. She shouldn't have just dragged Heather out. She shouldn't have forced her to leave. She shouldn't have left her alone on the side of the road. Her grandmother accepted her apology, but she knew that the one person who deserves her apology more was still out there. She had no way to contact her, and she had no idea where she was.

Naya was pacing restlessly outside the house, waiting for Heather's return.

When she saw a familiar figure stagger in their street as they rounded the corner, she couldn't help the big smile on her face. Not wanting to be caught waiting, she dashed for the front door and slipped. It was literally a pain in the ass. She got up as fast as she could, scurrying towards the door.

Relieved that the blonde was finally home, proof of which was the slamming of the door that made her wince, Naya headed for bed. As she settled under the blankets, she could hear the distinct sounds of movement in their kitchen. Naya totally forgot about dinner, but wasn't really hungry. She tried to sleep, but that nagging feeling deep within her was keeping her wide awake.

The brunette sighed and got up from the bed.

She tiptoed downstairs. Without so much noise, she managed to get to the living room without being noticed, settling quietly on the couch. She could view Heather from where she was sitting, and seeing how tired and hungry the blonde looked made her feel so guilty.

Naya watched Heather ate silently on the dining table, a box of last night's pizza and a glass of water in front of her. The blonde was barefoot; the doll shoes she previously wore lay scattered near the living room. The way Heather was rubbing her feet against each other made the brunette feel even guiltier.

The brunette had been sitting on the couch, pretending to be reading a magazine and waiting for Heather to scream at her or throw something at her or punch her. She was ready for that, knowing how much she deserved it. But Heather did not seem to notice her, so she cleared her throat, louder than she normally would but still, Hemo did not turn her head.

Apparently, Hemo was ignoring her purposely.

It would have been easy to just leave her alone. That would have been Naya's reaction in a normal situation.

But this wasn't normal. She wasn't feeling normal. It was strange for her to feel the need to apologize, something that she never liked doing. Had it been her friend Lea or Telly, even Dianna, she would have just turned the blame on them for being too nosy. Naya didn't dwell on the how or the why.

She had to fix this now.

So Naya tried a different approach. She got up from the couch and did some jumping jacks, looking absolutely foolish, making sure that her feet would make loud thudding sounds as it hit the granite floor, her eyes darting every now and then to the blonde's direction.

Hemo continued ignoring her, and the passive-aggressive stance was killing the brunette.

Naya was annoyed. She was annoyed at herself for putting up with this. Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was her conscience. She could just go upstairs and leave Hemo be. But going to bed with the thought of the angry blonde wasn't going to let her sleep. She just knew it.

She walked towards the table, pulled the chair opposite Heather and sat on it.

Heather did not even look up.

"Hey." Naya said but got no response or any reaction whatsoever.

_Light conversation… That could work._

"My sister would be my maid of honor, or my best woman. We haven't really discussed the details of our wedding yet. Anyway, her name's Nickayla, but you can call her Nicki." Naya started off. She decided to leave the wedding planning to Kevin, who hired a wedding planner for them.

"I asked my friends Meg and Vanessa to be my bridesmaids." The brunette continued, but still got no response from Hemo. Naya unconsciously bit her lower lip before continuing.

"Uhm, I also asked Britt… Britt Robertson, you know her, right?"

Of course Heather knew her. Everybody knew her. She was a TV star and, according to the rumor mill, involved with Naya, at one point in time.

"She was kind of my, uh, ex. Is that okay?" Somehow, Naya felt guilty all of a sudden for asking Britt ahead of telling Heather. She didn't know why she felt it would matter to Heather whether it's an ex-girlfriend that she would be asking as part of their entourage. But despite her failed relationship with the other actress, they were childhood friends first and remained friends after their break-up. Her, Britt, Dianna, Mark, Lea, Meg, Vanessa and Telly were just a few names in their circle.

Again, she didn't get a reaction.

"Uhm, who's going to be your bridesmaids? Kevin wants the names until tomorrow for the invitation."

Yeah, no such luck.

Naya's temper was rising and she was on the verge of throwing a fit, but the tired look on Heather's face and the way she was pathetically slouched on the chair reminded her that she did her wrong and she totally deserved such treatment.

Defeated, she continued with a sigh.

"So, is this how it's gonna be? You're not even going to talk to me?"

Alas, a shrug from the blonde.

"You can yell at me, you know." Naya conceded softly.

Heather finally looked up, her blue eyes locking with Naya's brown ones.

"I'm not going to yell at you." Hemo softly replied.

"Hemo… you're still going to marry me, right?" Naya shakily asked.

The blonde held Naya's stare for a few more seconds before getting up with her plate to wash it in the sink.

"Only because this is my father's house and it means the world to me. I'd do anything to get it back." Heather said, with her back turned on Naya.

"I'm sorry." Naya had never sounded so genuine in her life.

"I'm sorry for prying. We could include 'not talking' in our contract, if that's what you want. But I don't know how we are going to tolerate each other for the rest of the year, whether we're talking or not."

"No, no. I like talking to you. I'm… I know I'm difficult sometimes, but please, please be patient with me. I'll try to be nicer." The brunette realized how pathetic she must have sounded for begging, but right at that moment, she couldn't care less.

With her back still turned on the actress, Heather spoke.

"What are we even doing, Naya?"

"We're helping each other out. Maybe we can be friends, I don't know. I'm not good at this stuff. I get easily angry, and my family is a very touchy subject and I'm sorry for taking it out on you."

"I don't know why I care, I just do. That look on your dad's face, it's… I'd do anything to see that look on my dad again. Well, I'd do anything to see him again." A small smile formed on Hemo's face as the memory of her dad crossed her mind.

For a few minutes, Naya just listened to the sound of splashing water and clinking of plates.

"He wanted me to be a doctor." Naya opened up.

"What?" Heather turned and saw the look of hesitation on the brunette.

"My dad. I, uh… I went to Brown and started pre-med. I didn't like it. It wasn't for me. He wasn't exactly happy when I left school."

"You went to Brown?" Heather was so surprised that she sounded amused.

"Is that funny?" Naya's eyebrow shot up.

"I'm not even laughing." Heather squeaked a pitch higher, but the grin was halfway on her lips. "You went to an Ivy League school?" Hemo continued, intrigued.

"Oh, so that's it? You didn't think I was smart enough to get into an Ivy League school?"

"Now you're putting words on my mouth."

"This is unbelievable. You're unbelievable. Just when I finally start to open up, you'd find a reason to mock me. Great. That's just great." Naya was so annoyed. She pushed her chair back and started walking back to the stairs with a pout.

"I'm impressed."

Naya stopped on her tracks. Slowly, she turned back around to see the smile on Heather's face.

"You are?" A smile was tugging at the corner of the brunette's lips.

"I'm just surprised. Who would have thought there's more to your notorious playgirl façade?"

"Obviously, not you." And then there's that patented Naya Rivera eyeroll.

"Come here, let's talk." Heather walked back to the chair she was previously occupying and sat down.

"Not in the mood anymore." The actress crossed her arms.

"Stop being your stubborn self and come back here. You said we could be friends."

"I said _maybe_." Naya emphasized.

"Do you want me to call your grandmother to force you to talk to me?"

"No!"

Heather just had to laugh at Naya's face upon mentioning her grandmother.

"Fine. I'll talk. But that doesn't mean I'll answer anything that you ask me."

And Naya wasn't lying. She wasn't that keen on opening her whole life to Heather. It wasn't about Heather, it was just about opening up in general. But Naya wasn't going to lie either that she liked sharing a small part of herself to the blonde.

Now Hemo knew the reason why she had a strained relationship with her father.

Now Hemo knew that she had one younger brother named Mychal and the youngest, her sister, Nicki.

Now Hemo knew that she went to private school in highschool but wasn't as popular as the blonde assumed her to be.

Maybe she was right, maybe they could be friends at least.

_Maybe. _

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

**A/N: **I know, I know. Not enough HeYa. But next chapter will be full of HeYa, their wedding and 'honeymoon'. I promise.


	5. Teasing Mrs MorrisRivera

**CHAPTER 4**

**TEASING MRS. MORRIS-RIVERA**

Heather sat alone in front of a large mirror, in a room exclusively for her, inside the Belvedere Mansion at LA County, Southern California. It was her wedding day, and she looked absolutely breathtaking in her flowing white wedding dress. She couldn't help but feel sad though, because despite of how grand and beautiful this wedding was going to be, it was far more different than the way she originally imagined it.

She didn't have her father to walk her down the aisle.

A deep sigh escaped her mouth.

It had been a few minutes since Jenna had left to get Harry, the one Heather asked to walk her down the aisle. Her friend had been thrilled to be asked and didn't even think twice to agree. Naya still thought she shouldn't forgive her friends so soon after what they did to her, but Heather couldn't bear the thought of not having them in her life. She accepted their explanation whole-heartedly and she could see how genuine they were with their promise to pay her back.

The knocks on the door snapped Heather out of her reverie. Jenna usually just opens the door after knocking, making her wonder who it could be.

"It's open." The bride spoke.

She watched through the mirror as the door opened and was surprised to see who walked in.

"I didn't get a chance to properly introduce myself." Naya's father, Dr. Rivera, started off timidly, taking reluctant steps towards the blonde.

Heather got up from her chair and twirled around to face her soon-to-be father-in-law. It was weird, being alone with Naya's dad. This was only the second time they saw each other and the first time that she actually heard his voice. He sounded so gentle; she couldn't believe he was the same father Naya talked to her about.

What was she supposed to say? The last time she almost got married, she never really got to the point of meeting Chord's parents. This was certainly a new experience to her, one that she never got the chance to practice.

"Uhm, about the last time, sir, I really want to-"

"It's okay." Dr. Rivera interrupted before Heather could finish her apology. He never really blamed her. "That brat." He shook his head, obviously referring to his stubborn daughter. "You can call me George. Or dad. Or whatever is comfortable with you. But please, stop calling me 'sir'. I'm no royal." He chuckled at himself.

Heather couldn't help but smile. There was something about him that reminds her so much of Naya. Did the actress even know how much similarities she had with her father?

"I can call you Heather, right?" He asked.

"Of course. Or whatever is comfortable with you." Heather mimicked the doctor, making him smile. "Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me, and Naya."

"I hope I'm not intruding."

"Oh, you're not. I'm glad that you came by. It's starting to get boring in here."

"Do you want me to call Naya's grandmother? It will be interesting." He joked. His wife, Yolanda, had told him all about Heather's first encounter with his mother and he couldn't help but bring it up.

It was an entertaining and amusing story.

"She scared me enough to last me a lifetime." Heather joked back, half-meaning it.

What, Maria Rivera was truly scary.

When their laughter finally died down and they settled in a comfortable silence, Dr. Rivera continued.

"Naya has a temper but has a good heart. Sometimes, when she's angry, she says things that she doesn't really mean. You have to be patient with her." Dr. Rivera advised.

"I'll try my best. Thanks, George." She smiled gratefully.

"On second thought, just call me dad. I want you to call me dad. You are after all a part of the family now."

Heather felt the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. It was strange that just by this stranger's words, she felt like she really belongs with them, with Naya. It was a good feeling.

Dr. Rivera didn't know what to do when he saw his soon-to-be daughter-in-law tearing up. He didn't want to make her cry. He just wanted to make her feel welcome. He had the urge to hug her but felt they didn't know each other well yet, so he pulled his white handkerchief from his pocket and awkwardly offered it to Heather.

"Here. I'm not sure I'm ready to face my daughter's wrath if she finds out I made you cry."

"You didn't make me cry." She accepted the handkerchief and gently dabbed the corner of her eyes.

"You look very pretty, Heather." Dr. Rivera complimented. His face turned serious, and he looked a bit reluctant as he continued. "I have a confession to make."

Heather gave him a confused look.

"There's another reason why I came here. I know I'm probably crossing boundaries here, but… This is going to be the most important day in your life, and Yolanda had told me about your father. Would you, uh… would it be okay if I walk you down the aisle?" He sounded hopeful.

Before Heather could answer though, the door opened again, revealing Jenna with Harry in tow.

"Oh, uhm, dad…" Heather and Dr. Rivera chuckled at the same time as the blonde used 'dad' for the first time.

Harry and Jenna didn't have to be told who 'dad' was. So, they just smiled.

"Dad, these are my friends, Jenna and Harry."

"Hi." Dr. Rivera smiled at the two.

"It's great to meet you." Jenna said.

"Same here." Harry smiled.

Heather turned her eyes back to Dr. Rivera, who looked anxious standing there. She smiled and turned her attention back to Harry.

"You're just in time Harry. There's been a change of plans." The blonde looked at Naya's father and gave him a reassuring smile.

In the gardens of the Belvedere Mansion where the wedding ceremony was going to be held, a nervous brunette was pacing back and forth. Her eyes flickered to her group of childhood friends and her brother Mychal chatting animatedly at a distance. Her sister Nicki was busy forcing the members of her entourage to get into their places. At another part of the gardens, Kevin was on the phone, talking angrily. Seated in front of the chairs were her mother and grandmother. Naya wondered whether her father made it or just decided to skip her first daughter's wedding. She hadn't seen him around. Guests were starting to fill the chairs.

Truth is, Naya had never imagined what her wedding day would be like. Even when she thought of proposing to Dianna, her thoughts never went beyond the proposal stage. She didn't know what was making her nervous though.

"Congratulations."

Naya jumped at the voice, turning around to be greeted with Dianna's charming smile.

"I didn't even know you were dating someone seriously. But I'm happy for you." Dianna said genuinely as she walked towards her and gave her a hug.

"Thank you." Naya smiled at her.

Dianna stepped back, giving her friend a once over. Her lips formed into a wide grin.

"Vera Wang did a great job." The blonde commented as she finished her assessment of Naya's wedding dress. It was more simple compared to the one Heather was wearing.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Dianna nodded. Her right hand reached up to tuck Naya's hair behind her ear. "You look stunning."

"Tell me something I don't know." Naya rolled her eyes. They both giggled as they settled into their old routine.

They fell in short silence, just smiling at each other, before Dianna spoke again.

"I thought you were mad at me."

"Why would I be mad?" Naya scowled, trying to remember what the designer was talking about. She had been preoccupied with the wedding preparations and had been spending more time at home with Hemo that she barely thought of Dianna and what she was supposed to be angry about.

And then she remembered.

_Right. The restaurant thing._

"You barely talked to me back at the Vanity Fair party…" Dianna sighed. "I'm sorry, for all the hurtful things that I did." She didn't want to ruin her friend's wedding by bringing up all their baggage, but she wanted to fix things with Naya before she settled into family life.

"We're cool." The brunette smiled at her friend. It surprised her that she felt so calm about the restaurant thing when just a few weeks ago, it seemed like she was never going to be able to forgive Dianna. It hurt Naya to see the blonde still waiting for Mark, but for some reason, she was resigned with the idea of just being friends with her. Naya would rather have Dianna as a friend than not have her in her life at all.

Besides, the designer did not even know about her plan to propose, so Naya couldn't really blame her for leaving her at the restaurant to help Mark with his Vanity Fair outfit.

"You'd still be here for me, right? Even though you're married and would be spending more time with your wife, you'd still be my bestfriend?"

"Di, where is this even coming from?"

"Just promise NayNay. Promise you wouldn't change."

"Dianna Elise Agron, listen to me. You'll always be my baby girl. Nothing would change that."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Even when you get your own real life baby girl?"

"Whoa, hold-up. I'm just getting married today. It's too early for the baby talk." Naya's raised both her hands in a defensive stance.

"I think Heather should carry. She's nice. I like her."

She didn't know why, but she felt relieved that Dianna approved. Sure, her opinion always mattered to her. But she never thought of asking her opinion about Heather. Naya always imagined that hearing her approval for her to marry someone else would be sad; she did love her but strangely, she just felt guilty.

"You met her? When?"

"Just a while ago. Well, I had to introduce myself because you conveniently avoided doing it. Too afraid I'd tell her too much about you and have her running away?"

"You wouldn't dare." Brown eyes playfully narrowed at Dianna.

"You're right, I wouldn't. Besides, I think she loves you too much to leave you over some stories of your indiscretions in the past."

"What?"

_Did Dianna say 'love'?_

"She looks gorgeous, Naya."

Naya's lips formed into a wide smile. She had seen Heather all made-up during the press conference and she didn't disappoint. She held back her compliments then, not wanting to sound like she was paying too much attention. That would be awkward.

"Places! Gosh, _your _friends can't seem to understand instructions." Nicki, Naya's sister and 'bestwoman' walked towards their direction, her eyes rolling in annoyance as she pulled Vanessa Lengies on one hand and Britt Robertson on her other hand.

Naya and Dianna watched in amusement as their friends were _thrown _in front of them.

"The ceremony is about to start and you guys are still chatting away like this is just some mixer or something." Nickayla rolled her eyes at Britt who, just moments ago, was paying more attention to flirting with one of the guests than her actual role in the wedding.

"Okay, okay! You didn't have to drag me." Britt whined and pulled her wrist free from Nicki's tight grasp.

"Will you two watch them and make sure they don't wander anywhere?" Nicki shifted her eyes from Dianna to Naya. "I'll get the rest of Naya's entourage in line." Nicki was already steps away before Naya could complain.

"Aww, that really hurts." Vanessa whimpered as she rubbed that stinging part of her wrist. "Hey Naya. Hello Di."

"Hey." Dianna greeted back.

It didn't take long before the wedding march started playing. Naya straightened herself out, and Vanessa made sure her hair was perfect. When she turned to her ex-girlfriend, Britt grinned at her, and then held her in a tight embrace.

The wedding planner was already signaling Naya to start walking, but before she did, Naya turned to look at Dianna one final time.

"This is it." Dianna raised her hand to smooth down the side of Naya's wedding dress, making sure it didn't even have the smallest of crease. "Smile, Naya. It's your wedding day." With that, she playfully pushed her actress friend to the white carpet.

With a big, genuine, nervous smile on her face, Naya started walking. She could feel people's eyes on her, but she tried to ignore them. She took slow steps, making sure not to trip. When she was near the direction of her mother and grandmother, she caught the proud and happy looks on their faces and for a moment, she wished her father was there. It was, after all, the most important moment of her life, notwithstanding the fact that it was just a deal between her and Heather.

After reaching the front of the altar, she stopped at her spot, watching as her sister Nicki and the rest of her bridesmaids filed into a line behind her.

When the rest of the bridesmaids were on their places and Heather's maid of honor, Jenna, came out, Naya's heartbeat doubled. In a few seconds, she was going to see Hemo, in her wedding dress, for the first time.

Oh, Heather was gorgeous, alright.

At a distance, the blonde managed to knock the air out of Naya's chest just with that smile. The brunette was awestruck. But what really caught Naya off-guard was the fact that her fiancée wasn't walking with Harry.

On the blonde's right was Naya's father, and Heather's right hand was tucked in her father's left arm.

Her father, Dr. George Rivera III was at her wedding, walking her fiancée down the aisle.

Perplexed, Naya turned her eyes to meet her mother's reassuring ones, before it darted back to see the smile on her father's face. The brunette felt emotionally caught-up all of a sudden, her tears starting to flow. She tried to contain them, gently wiping her stained cheeks as her father stopped in front of her, handing Heather's hand.

For a few seconds, father and daughter stood quietly. It was Naya who spoke first, the trail of tears still visible in her cheeks.

"Thank you, dad." She whispered as she took Hemo's hand from him. She gave her father an awkward one-arm hug before Naya pulled Heather with her to face the officiating minister.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

So the ceremony exceeded all of Naya's expectations.

For one, she knew Heather was going to look gorgeous. What she didn't expect was that she would look like a princess that just stepped out of the fairytale books, to marry her own 'princess charming'.

Well, she also didn't expect her father to be there, much more walk her fiancée, now wife, down the aisle. It was a very touching gesture that got her so overjoyed, she almost forgot her vows.

And the vows, just, _wow. _While she thought her own vows sounded mediocre (that wasn't true though, Naya's vows was amazing), Heather's was absolutely fantastic and heartwarming. She almost cried again, but she would never admit to that.

Then there's their first kiss as a married couple; the kiss that lasted longer than she originally planned. Not that she was complaining. Naya got caught up with the whole wedding thing, she actually felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest due to happiness.

The wedding felt so real, and she almost believed it.

And now she was here, at the wedding reception still at the Belvedere Mansion, sitting beside her wife, holding her hand. Ever since they took their seats, through all the speeches and toasts, she hadn't let go, and Naya wasn't on planning on that anytime soon.

She liked holding Hemo's hand.

Naya was forced to let go, however, when they had their first dance. She wrapped her arms around Hemo's shoulders, her hands resting on the blonde's neck. Heather, on the other hand, wrapped her arms around Naya's waist, pulling her close.

"Look at me." Heather tried to pull away to see Naya's face. Naya, however, purposely held on tighter to keep them closer and to avoid having to look at Heather's eyes.

"What?"

"You keep looking at everyone else but me. People would think you don't want to be here. We're supposed to be s_elling _this, remember?"

"I just…"

"What?"

"I don't do eye contact, it's… spooky for me."

They continued dancing, their bodies remaining close to each other. Neither said it but both were just enjoying the moment; the feeling of being close to someone. It tickled everytime puffs of Naya's breath hit the skin on her neck, but Heather didn't mind.

"You're beautiful." Naya whispered near Heather's left ear.

"What?" Pale cheeks turned rosy pink.

"What?" Naya realized too late that she actually voiced out her thoughts.

"Did you just say-"

"I didn't say anything."

"Whatever you say, Naya." The blonde didn't sound like she believed Naya, but decided to let it go.

"Just dance, Hemo." Naya smiled against the skin of Heather's neck.

"May I cut in?"

Naya knew that deep voice too well. When she slightly pulled away from her wife, she found a wide smile on her face, her blue eyes fixed on someone standing in Naya's right.

There was her father, trying to hide the uneasiness, waiting for her response.

The brunette felt the arms around her waist loosen. She fixed a questioning look at her wife, who just shrugged at her and stepped aside for her father-in-law.

Dr. Rivera gratefully smiled at the blonde, before taking over. He wasn't a very good dancer, but despite his lack of grace, he wanted his father-daughter dance. Without a word and without giving her daughter the opportunity to refuse, he reached for Naya's left hand and held it up with his right, while his left hand rested on her hips.

The whole dance had been uncomfortable for both Riveras. Naya kept her distance as far away as possible, while her father kept looking at everywhere else but her. It was taking forever for the song to end, and the actress couldn't wait to get back into Hemo's arms, where she felt secure.

Heather had disappeared since Naya's father asked for a dance with her. She was dancing a while ago with Naya's brother Mychal, but anxiety took over when she found her brother dancing with Meg this time. Brown eyes kept scanning the room for a sign of long flowing blonde locks, and in her search for her missing wife, her expression turned sour.

Hemo was with a new dance partner.

And that new partner was Mark Salling.

Brown eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No need to get jealous now. She's married to you already." Dr. Rivera finally spoke after seeing her daughter's eyes land on Heather's direction.

Naya looked up at him in surprise, not realizing how obvious she had been staring.

"I'm not jealous."

Dr. Rivera laughed. Naya gave him a questioning look.

"You're my daughter. I know you."

"Really, I'm not. I don't care if-" Naya trailed off, seeing Mark's hand slid dangerously lower Heather's back.

Her eyes narrowed at him.

Mark should be thanking the gods that Naya didn't have laser beams shooting out of her eyes, or he'd be toast right now.

"Why is she letting him hold her like that?" Naya growled in disbelief. Mark was being too touchy-feely with the blonde, and Hemo wasn't even doing anything to stop him. The brunette thought their proximity with each other was inappropriate (it wasn't. Naya was just overreacting).

When she saw Hemo laugh at something Mark had said, Naya grimaced.

Dr. Rivera's eyes followed his daughter's line of sight, chuckling at what he saw.

"Not jealous my ass."

"I said I'm… wait, did you just say 'ass'?" Naya raised an eyebrow at him.

"I wanted to sound cool." He shrugged.

Now, Naya would have laughed in amusement, if her eyes still weren't trained at her wife dancing with her douche friend, letting his hand roam lower.

"Go." Dr. Rivera stepped back, giving her space.

"What?"

"It's your wedding day. You're the one your wife's supposed to be dancing with all night long."

"Hey, dad."

"Yes?"

"Thank you for today."

"We still have a lot to talk about, honey."

"I know. But today means everything in the world to me. I'll never forget it." Naya wrapped her arms around her father for one last hug, before putting her game face back on. This was her day and she wasn't going to allow Mark to steal her thunder.

Not now.

Not ever.

And she wasn't going to allow him to steal so much of her wife's time, either.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

_Naya stirred from her sleep, feeling the weight of someone, hovering on top of her. _

_Her eyes snapped open, widening in shock. Heather was straddling her thighs, wearing that super short dress she had never seen before. She obviously wasn't wearing a bra, seeing that she could make out the shape of her nipple against the fabric of her clothes. When the blonde bent down, her center rubbed against the skin of Naya's right thigh, and the actress didn't have enough energy to suppress the moan it elicited from her mouth._

_She felt like she was about to die. _

_As the locks of blonde hair descended upon her, a warm pale hand began to roam the right side of her body, stopping at the part of her waist where her tank top had bunched up during sleep, and lingering at the exposed skin of her hips. _

"_What-" Naya gasped as Hemo's playful hand started inching upwards, caressing the part of her torso just under her right breast. "… uh, what are you doing?" She managed to squeak breathlessly. The blonde was doing wondrous things with her hand, and it was definitely turning her on._

_But didn't they agree not to demand physical intimacy from each other, this being a business arrangement and all?_

_All rational thoughts were immediately thrown out of the window, however, when she felt the teasing hand move up to cup her breast. Her eyes shut closed and she squirmed underneath as she felt Hemo's breath hit the side of her neck. She didn't get any answer from her wife, not that she could even remember what her question was, especially now that the blonde started leaving a trail of wet kisses from her neck up to the side of her mouth, eventually capturing her lips for a deep kiss while her hand continued with its ministrations on her breast, and moving on to the other. _

_Without any reservation, she returned the kiss, feeling how the blonde's lips formed into a smile whilst they deepened the kiss. Hemo was grinding her hips against Naya and the brunette did the same, thrusting upwards. _

"_Nay…" Hemo whimpered at the contact, obviously needing more. _

_Her name never sounded so good in anyone else's lips. But the way her wife said it was so sexy, Naya couldn't help but get more turned on. _

_If that's even possible. _

_So, Naya, who 'promised' to be a good wife to Heather during their vows, resolved to give what her wife wanted and repeated the previous thrusting of her hips, drawing out a louder groan from Heather. Her dominant personality now taking over, she flipped their positions, now with Hemo underneath her, and Naya on top. _

_Naya leaned down, capturing Hemo's lips for another kiss. It was longer, deeper. She could feel the heat on the pit of her stomach, making its way downwards as Hemo's tongue made contact with her own, gently caressing each other. Her right arm was supporting her weight, while her left grabbed the hem of Hemo's dress, pulling it up. She broke the kiss, just so she could completely take it off from the blonde, and Hemo helped her by slightly lifting her torso up. _

_The actress felt her mouth go dry as her eyes feasted on Heather's body, which was covered by nothing but her sexy g-string, leaving nothing to the imagination. Her breasts were perfect, her nipples pink, and her abs, well, wow. _

_Naya didn't wait long to dive in and continue their kiss. This time, it was rather sloppy, but neither could care less as they were both so turned on. Her left hand shamelessly grope Hemo's right breast, making sure to give more attention to her pink nipple, and then downwards, excited to explore all other parts of the blonde's body. She pulled on her wife's lower lips with her own, while her hand cupped Hemo's right ass cheek, squeezing. _

_Wanting to taste more of Hemo, Naya pulled away from the kiss, making the blonde moan at the loss. She grinned, and it didn't take long before her lips found something to keep them busy again. Plump red lips attached themselves to Hemo's luscious neck, as the blonde tilted her head to allow her more access. She nipped on the skin, gently bit to tease, and licked to soothe the mark she made sure to leave. Hemo's hands found purchase on her brunette locks, trying to keep her there._

_But of course, Naya had other plans._

_Brown eyes locked predatorily on Hemo's breasts, and without a beat, Naya started kissing downwards. Upon reaching its first destination, i.e. Hemo's left breast, she sucked on the pink nipple, licking and swirling her tongue to give more than enough attention. _

_The moan that left Hemo's mouth sent shivers through Naya's body._

_Tanned hand began tracing the contours of pale, taut abs, and Naya couldn't believe just how amazing it felt against her palm. She started kissing and then licking, repeating it over and over as she delved into new areas of Hemo's abs that she hadn't touched while her hand continued its exploration lower, tracing the string of the blonde's little underwear. She gasped when her hand stopped on top of Hemo's still-covered center._

_She was so wet._

_When Naya looked up to meet darkened blue orbs, she could tell that Hemo was ready. _

_So, without having to be told on what to do, Naya shifted, pulling her body downwards and leveling her face with Hemo's wetness; the heady scent almost driving her crazy. Before she could pull the g-string off the writhing blonde, she heard her husky voice call out her name again. _

"_Nay…"_

"Naya."

The voice sounded so far away this time and it rang through Naya's ears. It didn't sound as sexy as it was before, but she ignored it.

"Naya!"

Naya jolted and felt the sudden pain on her right shoulder as she fell on the floor with a loud thud. A pair of blue eyes was curiously staring back at her. She frowned in confusion. While she thought Heather looked beautiful at that moment, the way she looked a while ago was even better.

She was naked.

And making those beautiful grunting noises while Naya worked her tongue down on her-

_Oh, wait. _

It had all been a dream.

A vivid dream that looked all too realistic to be just that, a dream.

_Fuck._

Heather was staring at her expectantly.

Naya felt her face burning in embarrassment as she got up, feeling how wet her underwear was, while Heather continued staring at her. She made sure to avoid looking at those eyes that were darker when she last saw them.

_I know, I know, the lustful eyes were just a dream as well, but still…_

Awkward.

"Were you having a nightmare?" Hemo asked.

"What?" Naya looked even more flustered at the deeper sound of her voice. It felt so hot that her eyes started to wander, looking for the AC and found that it was actually working.

"You're acting strange."

"No, I'm not. I was just gonna, uh-"

"Well, when you start being yourself again, why don't you bring your luggage to the bedroom because I'm not about to pick them up for you." Heather pointed to Naya's bags on the floor of the living area.

Naya just nodded.

When Heather was out of her sight, the brunette was finally able to let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. She still felt hot so she began fanning herself.

_Ah, cold shower!_

With that, Naya made a run to the bathroom and locked herself for an hour.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

It was when she was ready to go to bed when Naya realized that the bedroom situation was going to be a problem.

They couldn't really request for an extra bed; that would be suspicious. She didn't even realize she had been sex-deprived for so long since announcing her engagement with Heather and couldn't believe how sexually frustrated she was at the moment. Now after the wedding, and here at their honeymoon suite at the romantic La Casa Que Canta in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, with the thought of sleeping beside the blonde who looked so stunningly beautiful at their wedding, she felt even more frustrated.

That deliciously sexy wet dream that she had didn't help at all.

It was easy to get infatuated with the blonde, thus, the slip during their first dance.

Why didn't she think of the consequence of not being able to have sex with anyone, for a year, when she signed that contract with Heather? How was she going to survive that? She couldn't exactly sneak around having one-night stands or short-time relationships like she used to. Things were different now. She was married, and she promised Kevin and Amber that there wasn't going to be anymore scandals.

It was going to be a long night, and she was absolutely dreading it.

Naya found Heather placing some comforter on the couch of the living room, looking even more beautiful without her make-up. She stood entranced for a few seconds before she realized that the writer was already giving her a weird look.

Recovering from the spell she was previously in, she scoffed at Hemo.

"Yes you can take the couch." Naya was relieved that she wouldn't have to sleep inches away from her now wife. She smelled like she just got out of the shower, and her skin looked so smooth, she was afraid of what she would do if she actually got to sleep next to her.

_What? I'm only human._

"Do you even know how to be considerate?" Somehow, she had a thought that Naya might offer the bed and volunteer to take the couch. Knowing Naya, however, it was obviously just wishful thinking.

"Me? That's what you should be doing." Naya could already tell that the couch was too short for Heather's long legs. Her mind involuntary went back to her most recent dream and she had to shake her head out of it before she was forced to change her underwear again.

"Such a scumbag." Heather mumbled to herself.

"What did you say?" Naya caught what she said, though.

"You heard me."

"You know what. You're right. The bed's big enough for both of us. Come on, we can share it. We can sleep on the same bed. We are, after all, married now, aren't we? Come here, sweetheart." The brunette gave her wife a sickeningly sweet smile, but Heather just rolled her eyes at her.

Naya headed for the bedroom. She was so glad when Heather did not follow. But, being who she was, she decided to mock her wife and shouted for her to hear.

"It's okay, honey! If you don't want to sleep with me right now, we can do it another time!" She grinned, knowing that she was probably getting into Hemo's nerves. As she lay down the bed and before she could turn the lamp off, the door was thrown open and an angry blonde walked in.

Naya sat, her eyes wide.

"I thought you were-"

Hemo took her shirt off.

And Naya swallowed her tongue.

_Mmm, abs._

Naya stared open mouthed, thinking of how they looked even better in reality than in her dream.

"What are you doing?" Naya yelped when she found her voice again. The blonde was making her way to the bed, on her bra and pajamas, and her eyes were still trained on her abs.

"It's hot." Hemo shrugged casually and lay on the right side of the bed beside the brunette, who was sitting dumbfounded.

When the bed dipped, Naya realized the reality of it all and she leapt backwards, almost falling on the floor.

"I want to sleep here, deal with it." The blonde made herself comfortable and closed her eyes, feeling the brunette's eyes fixed on her.

"Fine."

Well, if Heather was going to torture her like this, Naya thought it was only fitting that she took her shirt off too.

Hemo's mouth formed an 'o' when her eyes settled on Naya's tanned four-pack.

_Damn._

Naya lay on the middle of the bed, too close to Heather for her own liking, but silently hoping that it would piss the blonde enough. Maybe she would decide to move back to the couch.

That didn't happen though.

Hemo, who was just annoyed, kicked Naya on her foot. Naya kicked back.

The blonde tried to shove the brunette with her arm. Naya just imitated her action.

Heather started kicking Naya again and they began pushing each other. When the writer almost fell off the bed, she got up, screaming at Naya.

"Hey!"

"What!" Naya got up as well.

Now they were both sitting incensed at each other. They both wanted the bed but neither wanted to sacrifice and take the couch. Hemo tried that, but it was too comfortable, since her legs were too long.

"I'm not taking the couch!" Naya whined.

"I would if I could at least fit in there! You're shorter, you'll fit!"

"Did you just insult my height?"

"You're so defensive!"

"I'm not taking the couch!" Naya repeated.

"Yeah, well, neither am I!"

"Yes, you are!"

"Make me!"

Naya grabbed Hemo's shoulder, preventing her from thrashing around. The blonde eyed her suspiciously. The brunette's face was moving closer and Hemo felt her heart rate speed up.

Naya was thinking how dare Hemo was to challenge her. Of course she wouldn't back down. Kissing her was the first idea that came to mind. She thought it would work to force the blonde out of the bedroom. She pulled Hemo's shoulders closer, but the writer sat stiffly in front of her.

It became clear to Heather what Naya's purpose was when the brunette puckered her lips and leaned in at a distance close enough for her to feel her breath and smell Naya's toothpaste.

They had kissed before. This wasn't going to work to force her out of their bedroom, right?

Wrong.

Hemo thought of their current situation. There wasn't anyone else in their suite. It was just the two of them. There wasn't anyone to witness it. If they kiss now, without anyone to convince about their relationship, it would be different.

This was different.

They were alone.

Kissing would mean something more than just selling it.

So, Hemo ran out. But not before pushing Naya away from her, sending the brunette tumbling on the edge of the bed, and falling with a loud thud on the floor, on her back.

"Owww…" Naya winced in pain, thinking how she got so prone to accidents since having the blonde in her life.

_What the hell did just happen?_

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

**A/N: **Didn't I say Naya was a notorious Hollywood playgirl? ;-) Right. So, sorry for the ex's dropping by in the story every now and then (although I think I've only named Britt). I'd say they're all harmless and just placed in the story for entertainment.

And Hemo's ex's? Yeah. I think I mentioned three of them in Chapter 1, one of whom she almost married. We'll be seeing one of them in a later chapter. You're just going to have to be a little bit patient with me.

Last thing, about Naya's childhood friends. It would be interesting to get to know Naya through them, don't you agree? ;-)


	6. Paper Cranes, Promises & Wedding Rings

**CHAPTER 5**

**PAPER CRANES, PROMISES, AND WEDDING RINGS**

"Hey."

Her wife's voice wasn't enough to make Heather turn her eyes away from her laptop. After they finished lunch, an idea struck the blonde and she did not waste any time. She had to immediately put it into words, and she was intent on not letting anything or anyone distract her.

"I only start to function after my third cup of coffee. Bring me a cup by the pool, will you?"

Naya stood by Heather's right, her arms on her hips. That, the blonde could make out with her peripheral vision; a sign that the actress was getting impatient. Still without tearing her eyes away from the task at hand, Heather just grumbled a response.

"Just what are you gonna do without me?"

"Are you going to make me a cup of coffee or what?" Naya rolled her eyes, watching her wife as she continued to type away in her laptop.

"You know, that attitude is not really going to get you what you want." Hemo blindingly pointed at Naya's direction with her right hand; her eyes remained fixed on the laptop, scanning what she had written down so far.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Hemo, darling?"

The change in Naya's tone twisted the blonde's expression into a grimace. And with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face, the brunette continued.

"I'd love it if you could bring me a cup of coffee by the pool… please?"

That last part did it. It's not everyday that you'd hear Naya Rivera say the word 'please'. So, finally, Hemo tore her eyes from her laptop, but she didn't have time to let the victory smile form on her face. The sight before her immediately blew her away, and it seemed like her tongue was blown away as well because no word came out of her mouth.

Her wife stood barefoot at the dining room, her dark hair cascading down her shoulders in beautiful big waves, covering her shoulders but not the rest of the skin exposed by the two-piece bikini she was wearing.

And damn, red looked so good on her.

"Please, babe?"

Hemo felt like she was trapped in haze, her head nodding an involuntary yes.

After she got the response that she wanted, Naya grinned, and started heading to the pool at the back of the house, a pair of blue eyes following her.

Spellbound, Hemo kept her eyes on Naya, but didn't realize that as she turned her body around, the chair tilted on one side. It was too late when the chair tipped backwards, sending the blonde on a stumble down the floor. Needless to say, the loud clanking sound of furniture sent Naya rushing back in time to see her wife pushing herself up from the floor, and brushing invisible dirt off her clothes.

When Heather got on her feet, Naya was already in front of her, an eyebrow raised and arms crossed.

"Done checking me out?"

"I wasn't checking you out."

_Tease._

Heather groaned in pain, rubbing the part of her back that she could reach. That sure was going to bruise.

"That chair was old. We should buy a new dining set. Those really durable ones that wouldn't break." Heather said, hoping to divert the attention away from her. She had never felt so embarrassed and knew that her ears were red already.

Naya's eyes went over the chair that was still lying on the floor, inspecting it. She quirked an eyebrow at Heather.

"It's not broken."

"Will you please put some clothes on?" It took too much effort on Hemo's part to keep her eyes away from Naya's bikini-clad body. The last thing she wanted was to be caught leering but it was hard not to when her wife was standing a few feet away, almost half-naked.

"I a_m_ wearing clothes. Do you expect me to go swimming with pajamas on? Besides, this is my house. I can wear whatever I want. I used to walk around naked, and now I can't even wear my bikinis?"

Yeah, well, it was kind of distracting.

For Heather, that is.

"What are people going to say if they see you?" Heather wasn't exactly conservative. She loved wearing bikinis herself, it's comfortable. So, chastising Naya about wearing them was kind of hypocritical on her part.

"First of all, no one's going to see me. Our nearest neighbor is miles away. Second, they'd say I have amazing abs and assume that we must have such an exciting sex life. Personally, I'd like them to think of it that way. It seems like it's all the 'action' I'm going to get while I'm married to you." Before Heather could say anything more, Naya was already steps away to her original destination. "Thanks for the coffee, babe!" Naya called out one last time before she exited the glass door to the poolside.

It was ten minutes later when Heather walked grudgingly at the poolside. She wasn't planning on staying longer, after what happened earlier at the dining room, and now with Naya on the pool and all wet…

"Wanna join me?"

Heather almost dropped the cup of coffee when she heard Naya's sexy, sultry voice which seemed to have gotten deeper. Carefully, she placed the cup down the small table in front of her.

"Uhm, no."

"Where's the cake?" Naya was threading at the side of the pool, nearest to Heather.

"Just drink your coffee, Naya."

"But you have to have cakes on birthdays. It's like an unwritten rule." Naya stated like it was the most obvious fact.

That stopped Heather on her tracks. She found curious brown eyes staring up at her. Was it Naya's birthday today? If it was, she felt a little bit guilty for not knowing. They were married, and knowing each other's birthdates was basic. What if someone asked?

"It's your birthday?" The blonde asked.

"No." Naya frowned, in utter disbelief that Hemo didn't remember her own birthday. "Are you being serious right now?"

Hemo just gave her a curious look.

"It's _your_ birthday."

Heather blinked, recalling yesterday's date and figuring out today.

"Oh."

"What, you forgot?" Naya swam to the edge of the pool and held on to the side.

"I was busy." Well, that was true. The blonde had been spending her afternoons teaching dance at Harry's dance studio. Her mornings were spent cleaning the house and the pool and whatever free time she had was spent writing.

"You're weird. Haven't any of your friends greeted you, yet?"

"I haven't checked my phone. Wait, how did you know it's my birthday?"

"I have ways." And by 'ways', Naya meant two Asian people that she recently visited and warned not to even think of crossing her wife ever again.

It was last week when she stepped foot, for the first time, at Harry's dance studio. The original reason why she went there was to check out Hemo's workplace. She had spent the whole day at downtown LA, in Kevin's office, going through schedules of appearances and discussing future projects which included a full-length feature of Batgirl. It was interesting, but she was still having doubts about playing the part.

At the end of her work day, Naya couldn't wait to go out to dinner with Hemo, but for some reason, she couldn't reach her on her phone. So, she drove back to Eagle Rock, hoping that she'd find the blonde still teaching dance at the studio. She hadn't had the chance to see her at work before.

She was totally bummed upon finding out that she just missed Hemo.

But, not wasting her presence at the dance studio, she made sure to give Asian Fusion a piece of her mind. Unlike Heather, she still detested the fact that they took advantage of Hemo's kindness. What if it was someone else who bought the house? Where would Hemo be living now if not with her?

Anyway, after a long talking-to, Naya felt a little bit forgiving and spent a few more minutes having a real, small talk with them. That's when she found out that Hemo was about to turn 26.

Today.

"So, do you have like, plans or something?" Naya was being uncharacteristically shy. She had been at a limbo since waking up earlier that morning, thinking of ways on how to invite the blonde to dinner without it sounding like a date. Sure she had reserved a table at her favorite fancy restaurant and it had a romantic feel in it, but she didn't want Heather to get the wrong idea about it. That would just be awkward. But it was Heather's birthday and she wanted to do something special for her.

She could make it simple and just tell Heather about her dinner reservation, but she didn't want to assume that the blonde had nothing else to do.

"I'm going to Disneyland." Heather's lips were now formed into a large grin.

"Disneyland?" Naya asked, eyebrows knitted, expression torn between amusement and astonishment.

When she was younger, Heather's father took her to that theme park every year. It had been her birthday tradition. After he died, she continued the tradition with Harry and Jenna.

"It's my birthday tradition. My dad used to bring me to Adventureland on my birthdays." The excitement could be seen through Heather's eyes, eliciting a smile from Naya. But the smile on Naya's lips didn't last long. "I should call Harry and Jenna."

Well, there goes all of Naya's dinner plans. Her brown eyes followed Heather's retreating figure with frustration, but the look was gone and an indifferent one replaced it as the blonde stopped on her tracks, turning around to face her again.

"Do you want to go?"

Second choice. That was what's running through Naya's head at the moment. While she was touched at the invitation, her ego was already bruised and she was just annoyed. Instead of answering, Naya just rolled her eyes and swam away from Hemo to the other end of the pool.

She was peeved. She was the one who reminded Hemo of her birthday and of all people to spend her day with, she thought of her opportunistic friends first? Sure, she probably had plans already, but she thought that it would automatically include her. They were, for all intents and purposes, married.

"You could go if you want." Heather looked encouraging, and her smile was causing something to break Naya's resolve. The brunette's inner turmoil was invisible to Heather, however.

"Who says I want to go? My schedule is full today."

"Come on Naya, it would be fun."

Naya made sure to avoid looking at Heather's eyes.

"That place is too crowded for me. I'd get mobbed by fans." Naya spoke with obvious irritation.

"Okay. Well, is there somewhere you wanna go?"

"No." Naya tried not to sound bitter, but Heather must have noticed because the blonde was now looking suspiciously at her.

_Wuss._

"Are you sure? Because I could-"

"I told you, I've got things to do. I've got guest appearances and photo shoots and… stuff." Naya huffed in answer.

"Okay."

"Uhm, so what time will you be home?" Naya asked in the most casual way possible.

"Late, I guess."

"What?"

"It's my birthday and I intend to enjoy it."

"What about me?" Naya asked, unconsciously pouting.

"I thought you said your schedule is full?"

"Right. Uh, yeah. In fact, Kevin's probably pissed that I'm running late right now." Naya then climbed out of the pool and dashed back to the house, dripping wet, and creating a trail of water behind her.

Heather would have called Naya out for the mess she was making on the floor.

If she wasn't so busy checking out Naya's ass, that is.

What, she's only human.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

"Well, look who's here. What the hell are you doing here, bee?" Kevin asked as he entered his office, eyes focused on the only person inside the room. He just got out of a meeting with another client and was surprised when his secretary informed him at the door that Naya was inside, waiting for him. They didn't have anything set for today, as far as he could recall.

"No reason." The brunette answered, sounding utterly bored. She sat in front of the conference table, drumming on the table with the two pens she held on each of her hand.

Kevin took the opposite chair and shot her a curiously amused look.

"That's why I'm surprised." He did not get any more response, to which he quirked an eyebrow. His friend continued fiddling with the pens, entertaining herself as she got lost in her own world, occasionally glancing at her watch to check the time.

Something was up and Kevin could tell.

"I could barely get you in here when there's a reason to. So, what's up?"

"Can't I just come here and see you?"

"Aww, did you miss me? I'm touched." Kevin placed his right hand on top of his heart, mocking his friend. Since Naya got married, something in her had definitely changed. He just couldn't figure it out yet.

But it was a good change.

He barely avoided the pen that was thrown his way.

"Who are you and what have you done to Naya Rivera?" Kevin laughed in amusement, but Naya just kept ignoring his jabs.

"Hey, do you wanna go to Disneyland?"

Instead of hearing an answer, Naya heard her friend laughing. So, she glared at him. That got him to stop.

"Oh, you weren't joking?"

"It could be fun."

That certainly got Naya a strange look from Kevin.

"What are you, 5?"

"It's not just a children's park. Don't you want to discover the mysteries of the Temple of the Forbidden Eye?" Naya knew how lame she sounded but didn't really care.

It looked like Kevin was about to burst out laughing.

"Bee, I wish I have time to do stupid things with you, but I've got a lot on my hands today."

"It's not stupid." The brunette threw the remaining pen on her hand at Kevin, hitting him on the chest.

"Okay, it's just a figure of speech." He raised his hands in surrender.

"Figure of speech my ass. You just have to say no if you don't want to go. But you don't have to call it stupid."

"You're a little defensive today."

"I'm not defensive."

"Fine. I'm sorry. We could go there next week. I'm clearing my schedule for you if you want." Kevin conceded. He wasn't keen on rearranging his schedule for Disneyland, but despite of how silly Naya seemed to be right now, he'd do that for her. They were friends, after all.

"But I want to go now." She pouted.

"Why, what's so important about today?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Nothing."

"What's in Disneyland, Naya?"

"You know what? I'm not going to force you to go with me, so, _adios. _I'm going now." Naya pushed her chair backwards and marched out of the room without so much of a goodbye.

Kevin could only shake his head in amusement.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Naya figured that her Yankee cap and aviator shades wouldn't really work to hide her identity at Disneyland. But it was an amusement park, so she was more than thankful to find another way to disguise herself.

A mask of the Lion King.

It had fur and was really itchy but she kept it on as she strolled into Adventureland. She regretted not probing Heather about her Adventureland escapades. It was frustrating just deciding on which particular theme park she would be entering first.

Indiana Jones.

Tarzan's Treehouse.

Enchanted Tiki Room.

Jungle Cruise.

_Fuck it. _

Naya just let her feet take her wherever and found herself inside the Temple of the Forbidden Eye.

_Shit._

It was dark. And tricky. And how was she supposed to find Heather here? Taking refuge in the darkness, Naya took the mask off, scratching her cheeks. As she wandered around, she made sure to stay away from people and in the dark. She kept the mask on in more illuminated areas.

It didn't take long to lose her patience and before she could finish the adventure, she left.

Next stop, Tarzan's treehouse.

She climbed up, head turning at every direction, her heart pumping fast time every time she saw a flash of blonde hair. It was hard with the mask on, but she didn't really have a choice. Still exhausted from her Indiana Jones adventure, Naya walked to the hanging bridge, finding a vantage point. There, she stopped for a few minutes watching the people below her, silently hoping Heather would finally show up.

Still, there was no Heather.

The day wore on and she didn't have enough time to search all the other theme parks. Naya was already panting from all the walk she did and she was tired to the bone. Not to mention she was really thirsty. The brunette went to the nearest refreshment stand and bought a bottle of water. After she got her change, that's when she realized the problem.

Drinking was not going to be possible with the Lion King mask on.

She looked around, assessing the situation. Children and adults alike passed by her, too engrossed with everything that the park had to offer. Maybe they wouldn't even notice her, she thought. So, all things considered, she decided to take her mask off and just drink her water as fast as she could.

That proved to be a mistake, though.

Because as soon as she took the mask off her and lifted the bottle of water up to her lips, a child, about 6 or 7 years old, suddenly stopped in front of her, eyes wide and pointing her little chubby fingers at her.

"It's Johanna! Mommy, look it's Johanna Mason!" The girl shrieked.

Naya sputtered her water out upon hearing the girl calling her by her Hunger Games character.

She was caught.

Curious eyes were now focused on her and people were starting to gather. The kid was smiling at her and she tried to smile back, still annoyed that her cover had been blown. She heard the whispers and she could tell the recognition on people's faces. Some greeted her and she just gave a hand wave in return. But the crowd was beginning to get out of control.

More and more people were stopping. Everything was happening so fast and everytime somebody took the space beside her for a picture, she forced a smile. It was hard to feign cheer when you were being cautious at the same time. She wasn't really up to being squashed by a mob of fans today.

So, after a few more posing with fans, she gave them one final wave, and walked away.

She heard footsteps following her. When she looked back, she was mortified.

Naya bolted, with hundreds of fans trailing behind her.

Thank god she was a fast runner.

The exit was too far away and the only escape she found was a door that was fortunately unlocked. As soon as she got inside, she locked it as fast as she could, and let out a sigh of relief. She could still hear the fans calling from outside and banging on the door. When she got a good look of the place she was locked in, she couldn't help but cringe.

Naya was locked in a men's room.

Not the best placed to be locked in.

She tried not to breathe.

Naya made sure to not wander away from the door. She fished out her iPhone from her pocket and dialed Kevin's number.

It took thirty minutes for Kevin to arrive with Naya's bodyguards.

It took another ten minutes for them to pull her out of the frenzied crowd.

One of her bodyguards drove her Range Rover back to Kevin's office while Kevin insisted that she rode with him on his Hummer just to lose the paparazzi if ever they caught wind of Naya's whereabouts.

"What are you even doing here? You're gonna be all over the papers again tomorrow. You look ridiculous." Kevin briefly turned his eyes away from the road to Naya.

Naya sat brooding on the passenger seat. She obviously had wasted time and effort for nothing. Where in the world was Heather? She checked her watch and concluded it was too early to hit the clubs. Disneyland was a place too big to search, but she was sure she was going to see the blonde there.

Obviously, she was wrong. She was mumbling things to herself when she felt her friend nudging her on her elbow.

"Naya?" Kevin prodded, still waiting for an explanation. He didn't think Naya would go there alone after she left the office earlier. That was just so uncharacteristic of her.

"I was looking for my wife. It's her birthday today." She confessed.

"Oh." Kevin finally understood.

Heather was the reason why Naya was insistent on going there that afternoon.

He couldn't help but smile.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

"I'm sorry that you had to cancel your plans with your friends." Mark looked up from the papers he was reading. Earlier, he had called Heather and asked her to come to his office. He wanted to discuss one of the synopses Heather previously submitted. The story had promise but needed some tweaking.

"It's okay. This is work and I'm sure they'd understand. We could go to Disneyland on another day." Heather was really thrilled when she got the call from Mark. She had been waiting for it, hoping he'd like one of the synopses she submitted.

"Disneyland?" He asked, a curious look directed at Heather.

"Yeah." The blonde felt a bit embarrassed all of a sudden.

"I haven't been there since I was 7." Mark chuckled.

"I go there every year to celebrate my birthday. It's sort of been a tradition between me and my dad."

"It's your birthday? Why didn't you say so? I could have gotten you something." All of his attention was now on Heather, losing all interest on the script (not Heather's) he was previously reading. Mark leaned back on his chair, eyes fixed on the blonde.

"You don't have to get me anything. This opportunity is more than enough." Heather was truly grateful that Mark was giving her a chance. It wasn't easy getting into the Hollywood business. There were so many hopefuls out there, some even more talented. All she needed was a chance. When she thought about it, her Hawaii trip had been a blessing in disguise, although that cost her her father's house. But that's where he met Mark, and that's how she met Naya. All of those situations came together, and that's what brought her here now.

"Well, happy birthday Heather." Mark was glad that they were both sitting down because he wasn't really sure how to properly greet Heather. Was he supposed to shake her hand, or hug her? He opted to just smile. That was safer.

"Thanks." Heather smiled.

"So, do you have plans with Naya today?" He tried to sound uninterested.

Heather's smile slightly faltered. She would have loved to spend some time with Naya today.

"No. She's too busy with work."

"She should be making time for you."

"I married a movie star. I know how it is."

"You're supposed to matter more than her career. It's your birthday today, and it only happens once a year." His expression turned formal. Mark knew Naya since childhood; she had the tendency to take things (or people) for granted.

"Uhm, can we just talk about my synopsis? I don't really want to waste your precious time venting about my wife." Heather felt her mood suddenly shifting. While she understood Naya, she was still disappointed.

Mark noticed the writer's attempt to turn the conversation around.

"You shouldn't be alone on your birthday."

"I'm not alone. You're here."

"Right. I'd invite you out, but I have other things to do after this meeting with you."

"Bummer. You would have loved my favorite spaghetti place."

"Maybe next time. As for now, we could order some take out and discuss your story over dinner."

"I'd like that."

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

It was late and Naya had been pacing the dark living room for hours now. Heather was still out and she had no idea where the blonde was. Surely, she wasn't in Disneyland. Or in Adventureland. That place was so big and the whole day wasn't enough to look for her. It was quite impossible to look for anyone with that amount of people, like looking for a needle in a haystack. Maybe she should have called. But she didn't want to seem clingy. She could call now, but didn't want to give Hemo the idea that she cared.

The blonde was probably too busy partying with Harry and Jenna at the moment to notice if she actually called. She was beginning to worry when the faint sound of a car door being closed caught her attention. She rushed to the window, only to get riled up by the scene before her eyes. Heather was standing on the side of a black Lexus, leaning on the window and talking to the driver.

_Mark._

What was Hemo doing with Mark when she was supposed to be with Harry and Jenna? She wanted to march out and ask the blonde outright. She had been at Disneyland, being chased by fans, while she spent the rest of her day with Mark.

_Really, with Mark? What is it with Mark?_

She was jolted from her thoughts as she saw Mark's car sped away and Hemo walking into the house. Naya sprinted back to the living room and lay down the couch, pretending to be asleep.

When the lights were switched on, Naya pretended to stir, an exaggerated yawn escaped her lips. She made sure to make a lot of movement on the couch as she stretched, as if she had just been woken up. Sure enough, Heather turned her head at her direction, and as their eyes met, the brunette made sure to look surprised.

"Did you just get in?" Naya glanced at her watch and her eyes immediately went back to meet Hemo's, not giving the blonde a chance to answer. "Do you realize what time it is? A wife shouldn't be home so late! You didn't even call!" She got up from the couch and walked towards the direction of her wife.

Hemo just huffed and headed to the kitchen, picked up a glass and opened the fridge to get water.

"Why are you picking a fight? I told you I'd be late." Hemo responded, not bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice.

"Can you blame me? I got hungry waiting for you." Naya crossed her arms. She stood behind the blonde, watching as Hemo took a sip from her glass of water.

"What's wrong with you? Why didn't you eat? I thought you were eating out."

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, for one, you always complain about my cooking."

"Just make me something, okay?"

"Fine. But I'm going to change first." Heather proceeded to go upstairs, but before she could reach the staircase, something caught her eye; some weird furry thing on their coffee table. Curious, the blonde approached the coffee table and as she got nearer, what she discovered caught her by surprise.

The furry thing was a mask; a mask that could have come from only one place.

Disneyland.

Hemo could not help it when her lips formed into a smile. Naya went to Disneyland today.

The actress was taking a sip of water from the glass that Hemo used a while ago when she felt the gentle tap on her right shoulder. When she turned to face the blonde, she almost spits the water out.

Hemo was wearing the mask she used as disguise at Disneyland that afternoon. She couldn't see the blonde's pink lips, but she could tell she was grinning, judging by the way her blue eyes shone.

"Did you go to Disneyland today?", came the muffled voice.

"No." Naya took a step back and tried to get away from Heather. Her cheeks were burning and she didn't want to be caught blushing.

"You're really going to lie to my face?" The blonde writer followed the brunette to the living room, taking off the mask as Naya slumped on the couch.

"No. Why would I?" Naya crossed her arms, avoiding the amused look Heather was giving her.

For a short moment, Heather stood watching her wife's obvious discomfort on the subject.

"Were you there looking for me?"

"Who, me? You think I'm nuts? I was just so bored and it's been a long time since I've been there. Don't get the wrong idea." Naya rolled her eyes, wishing the blonde would just leave it. Of course she went to Disneyland because of her. It would have been easier and less complicated if she just admitted it, but she couldn't seem to do just that. What would Hemo think if she knew that she risked being chased by crazed fans just to spend her day with her?

_Not that it meant anything._

"Did you wait long?" Heather smiled knowingly.

"I wasn't waiting for you. Shut up." Naya replied defensively. She felt her face burning at the tenderness of the blonde's voice. She wasn't used to that tone.

"I didn't go there today." It sounded like an apology.

There was a sudden flash of annoyance on Naya's face, but it was immediately replaced by an unconcerned one.

"You didn't?" Naya may be a good actress, but she failed to hide the trace of disappointment in her tone.

"I'm really sorry for making you wait."

"I didn't wait. I didn't!" Naya insisted, sounding more frustrated everytime she denied it.

"Uh-huh, yeah. Sure." The blonde teased, laughing out loud seeing how Naya looked sulking like a petulant little child. "How long did you wait?"

"I said I didn't wait." The brunette growled. "Why are you smiling like that? Don't do that."

Hemo just stood there, smiling at Naya, like she just gave her the best gift in the world. Well, it felt like that. They had a sort of love-hate relationship and she wasn't really expecting anything from Naya. She didn't even expect her to know about her birthday. The fact that the brunette had to remind her of her own birthday was more than enough surprise. And to find out that her world-famous wife went to a place such as an amusement park (where she was supposed to be) on her birthday was a gift no one could ever match.

She was happy. And Hemo wasn't even hiding it. Her only regret was that she took that call from Mark, although she wasn't blaming him. It would have been more fun spending the day with Naya, though.

"Stop staring at me. And how many times do I have to say it? I. Didn't. Wait. Stop pestering me." Naya whined, feeling those pair of beautiful blue eyes still locked at her. She was way beyond embarrassed.

The brunette literally jumped from her seat when she felt the warm pair of lips making contact with her right cheek. How the hell did Hemo even get to her side that fast and without her noticing it? Sure she was busy looking everywhere else but the blonde, but she would have felt it.

And what the hell was that kiss for?

"Thank you for today." Hemo whispered on Naya's right ear.

"Whu-?" The actress was barely able to form a sentence after feeling the blonde breathe on her ear. If she was blushing before, she was more than blushing now. Was there even an exact term for that?

"And I'm keeping the mask." Hemo pulled back. But before she climbed upstairs to change clothes, she turned her head back, throwing Naya a cute wink.

Naya stared speechless.

When Heather woke up the next morning, she found the box wrapped with shiny wrapping paper on top of their dining table. It had a ribbon tied in a bow. Curiously, Hemo approached and looked over the small card attached to it. She read the message scribbled in Naya's childish handwriting.

_Wifey,_

_Be a person who touches people's hearts. Happy Birthday, HeMo. You owe me dinner, by the way. See you tonight. _

_;-)_

Hemo couldn't contain the big smile on her face. She was yet to open the gift, but what's inside was a recorder especially for writers. She picked up the card and fondly traced Naya's handwriting with her right hand. When she turned the card around, she found a short instruction and the address of Il Cielo at Beverly Hills.

Looked like she already had plans tonight.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

"Hey, is Di here?" Naya asked her friend's assistant as she walked into the blonde's shop that afternoon. Normally, it was Dianna who greets her by the door, but she was surprised to see her assistant Adam. The designer was supposed to meet her today for a fitting. She was having a press conference for Batgirl which was going to be in a week and Dianna had again, volunteered to dress her up.

"Hi, Naya. She didn't come in today. But she called earlier and asked me to help you with anything that you'd need." Adam led the actress further into the shop, but Naya stopped midway, wondering where Dianna was.

"Where is she?"

"She's not feeling well so, she decided to stay at home for now."

"What?" Naya was alarmed. The blonde lived alone. Whenever she was sick, she usually called Naya to stay over and keep her company, so she was surprised that Dianna did not even bother calling this time. "Is she okay?"

"Oh, I think she's fine. That boss of mine has to take a lot of rest though. Yesterday had been very stressful. So, do you want to see Dianna's choices for you now, or-"

"I'll just come back tomorrow, okay? I've got to see Di."

"Okay."

"Thanks, Adam." Naya smiled at him before rushing outside, and speeding away in her Range Rover.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Dianna's eyes fluttered open. She was still half-asleep, barely conscious. Despite her long hours of sleep, she still felt tired, and was craving for more sleep. Her hazel eyes settled on the open window, realizing that it was night time already. Then she remembered she did not even open them.

Now fully awake, the designer shot out of bed, and strained her ears to listen to any kind of movement in the house. She heard footsteps coming nearer. Dianna could feel her heart rate doubling in fear, assuming that an intruder had gotten in. Before she could jump out of bed and find a place to hide, the door opened.

Her screams were caught up in her throat before they even came out.

It was kind of anti-climactic when she saw the short brunette standing by her now opened bedroom door, holding a plate of food on one hand a glass of water on the other.

"Naya?"

"Hey, I was supposed to wake you." Naya walked into the room, closing the door behind her. She placed the glass on Dianna's night stand before sitting on the bed beside Dianna. "It's dinner time." Naya gestured to the plate of food on her hand.

"How did you get in?" The blonde designer looked curiously at her.

"Easy. I told your doorman that you're very sick and couldn't get up from bed and that you called me for help."

"I'm not dying." Dianna rolled her eyes.

"That's not what I said." Naya just smiled. Her friend had the tendency to be cranky when she's sick. "Now eat."

"I'm not hungry. Charlie actually believed you?" Dianna narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Naya. Charlie, their doorman, wasn't that easy to convince.

"I might have used a bit of my charms."

"Charms? You don't have charms." Dianna joked.

"I winked at him and it didn't take a lot for him to give me your spare key." Naya playfully punched her on the shoulder before urging Dianna to take the plate of food. The blonde just shook her head. "You've got to eat some time."

"Maybe later." The designer reached for the glass of water that Naya brought in and drank almost half of it.

"Did you take any medicines?"

"I just need rest."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"I'm fine, Naya. I can take care of myself."

"You still should have called me, like you used to. We said we'd always be there for each other. Bestfriends forever, remember?"

"Of course. Bestfriends forever." Dianna smiled at Naya, her eyes reassuring. "But things are different now. I can't just ask you to stay over when you have a wife waiting for you at home. You're married now, Naya."

"Oh my god. Heather!" Naya jumped to her feet as she was reminded of where she was supposed to be, almost dropping the plate of food on Dianna's bed. The blonde carefully took the plate from Naya's hands.

"Yes, Heather. She's really wonderful, and I don't want to get into her bad side, so, why don't you-"

"I have to go."

"That's what I was going to say."

"I'm supposed to meet her at Il Cielo, like…" Naya glanced at her watch, eyes wide in realization. "… an hour ago! Fuck!"

"What? Well what the hell are you doing? Get out of here now. You're an idiot. How could you forget?" Dianna, with all the strength she had, tried to reach out to Naya to give her a push.

"Well, I'm sorry if I was so worried about you." The brunette rolled her eyes as she headed to get her coat from the chair in front of Dianna's vanity table.

"This isn't my fault. If she hates me for this, I'll hate you." Dianna warned.

"You're not very eloquent when you're sick."

"I'm going to get you back for that as soon as I'm feeling better." Dianna playfully replied.

"I'll check on you tomorrow, baby girl." Naya chuckled, not really taking Dianna's threats seriously.

"Stop worrying about me. What you should worry about is where you'd be sleeping tonight."

"Bye, Di!" Naya gave the blonde a quick hug before running out of Dianna's Brentwood Park unit to see another blonde.

Il Cielo was still packed but Naya's reserved table was already empty when she arrived. She was too late. The waiter confirmed that the blonde was present a while ago and he did, in fact, served her a glass of wine. She looked somber, the waiter said, and kept checking her watch.

Naya felt bad for making Heather wait. She tried to call her wife, but the writer was purposely not answering her calls so she just left her a voicemail, explaining. The blonde did not return her call. Feeling defeated, Naya sat on the chair Heather was previously occupying, and called the waiter to order the same wine that Heather ordered.

At home, Hemo was sitting on her bed, staring at the glittering bands of gold on her left ring finger. Her wedding ring was beautiful. It had four diamonds in it, and had an inscription of Naya's name on the underside of it. She had never taken it out of her finger since she had gotten married. The other ring on top of it was simpler, slimmer, and had a single piece of diamond in it.

It was Dianna's engagement ring. The ring that started it all. It never belonged to her. And after hearing Naya's voice mail, telling her how she had forgotten about their dinner date, she couldn't help but feel out of place.

So, Hemo took the engagement ring off.

The ring that will never be hers.

After staring at the engagement ring one last time, she pulled the drawer in her nightstand and placed the ring underneath everything that was in there.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Like their usual mornings, Hemo and Naya were brushing their teeth at the same time in the master bathroom upstairs. But unlike their usual mornings, Hemo was quiet and Naya knew the reason why.

Brown eyes drifted at the blonde's reflection on the mirror, but it seemed that Hemo was intent on not acknowledging her at all.

"Are you really giving me the silent treatment?"

Naya got exactly that answer. She rinsed one last time, recapped her toothbrush and placed it back where it belonged before turning to face Hemo.

"Look, I'm sorry about last night. I totally lost track of time. And Dianna was really ill. I couldn't just leave her."

"You should have stayed with her then." Hemo still wasn't bothering to look at the brunette. She leaned down and spit before rinsing.

"Wait, are you jealous?" Naya attempted to lighten up the situation, but it seemed to just infuriate the blonde even more.

"Please."

"Did you wait long?"

"Why would I wait? I'm not an idiot." Heather then recapped her own toothbrush after washing it, mimicking Naya's actions.

Idiot was how Heather felt like last night. She looked like a fool waiting for Naya at the restaurant. The brunette didn't even have the decency to cancel. Who wouldn't be upset by that?

Heather wanted to just walk away and avoid a confrontation but she wasn't able to stop herself. She was still enraged for being stood up and the words came out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Why drag someone out only to make them wait for you?"

Naya jumped at the obvious anger in the blonde's voice. She had never seen or made Heather this angry before.

"I thought you didn't wait." Naya answered as soon as she recovered from shock.

"I left, but I'm still upset! What do you take me for?" The blonde poked Naya on her chest, and the actress was fast on swatting the hand away.

"You're annoying me again."

"Oh, I'm annoying you?"

"Promises are made to be broken, okay? Things happened. It's nothing to scream about." Naya walked out of the master bathroom.

As Heather followed, she noticed something missing from Naya's swinging hands.

Their wedding ring.

"Let me see your hand." Hemo grabbed Naya's left hand before she could answer.

"Why?" Naya stopped walking, a curious look plastered on her face.

"You're not wearing your ring. You're married. You can't go around without your wedding ring. It wouldn't be fair if I'm the only one wearing it. Your grandma scolded me when I wasn't wearing mine."

Naya just rolled her eyes.

"What did you do with the ring?"

"I might have left it at Dianna's." Naya tugged her arm free and continued walking downstairs to the living room. She took it off before she started cooking for Dianna last night. The brunette was so afraid of denting it, scratching it or losing the diamonds to the drain. Heather didn't know but Naya took the ring off everytime she did the dishes (which is very rare), or when she took a shower.

The actress settled on the couch and grabbed the remote, turning the TV on.

"Ask her then."

"What?"

"Call her now." Heather snatched Naya's iPhone on top of the coffee table and threw it at the brunette's direction. Naya barely caught it.

"I don't want to disturb her. She's probably still not feeling well." Naya looked at her wife, incredulous at the suggestion.

"She'll understand."

Realizing that Hemo wouldn't leave her alone until she called Dianna, the brunette picked up the phone and reluctantly dialed the designer's number. To her surprise, a bubbly voice answered.

"_NayNay! It's barely 7 in the morning. To what do I owe the honor?"_ The designer joked. She had always been an early riser, unlike Naya, who was never a morning person. She was actually surprised that the brunette was already awake.

"Are you feeling better? You sound better than last night."

"_I'm good, yeah."_

"Have you had breakfast? You should rest."

Heather had been eavesdropping and had to roll her eyes.

"_I'm fine, Naya. Don't worry about me. How's Heather? I hope she didn't get mad at me for keeping you so late. I'm blaming you." _ Dianna joked.

"Uhm, she's fine. Have you seen my wedding ring? I left it at your house."

"_Your ring? Who's stupid enough to take their wedding ring off?"_

"Me, obviously. Can you look for it, please? I might have left it near the sink, or the bathroom. I'm not too sure. I wrapped it in a tissue."

"_Okay. Hang on." _

Naya could hear the sound of footsteps and after a short minute, she heard the rustling and Dianna was back on the line.

"_I'm sorry, Nay. I couldn't see it. I tried the bathroom but it wasn't there either. Are you sure you left it here?"_

"Yeah."

"_Maybe it fell off somewhere? I'll look for it, I promise."_

"Well, if you ever find it, let me know soon, okay?"

"_I can't believe you lost your ring. You're going to get in trouble."_

"Already _in_ trouble." Naya replied, weary of the blue eyes that was burning a hole on her forehead.

"_Good luck with the wifey."_

"Funny."

"_Bye, Naya."_

"Bye." As she hung up, Naya found Heather's probing blue eyes on her. "Stop looking at me like that. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?"

"It's just a ring."

"It's not just a ring. It's our wedding ring." Heather stared at Naya in disbelief.

"I can buy another ring." The brunette said, silently wishing Heather would just stop talking because she wasn't a morning person and the early chatter was giving her a headache.

"You can't buy another ring. That ring is a promise you made with me. You can't just replace it."

"Promise? What promise did we make? You signed a contract and married me. Are we really married? Why are you overacting?" Irked, Naya got up from the couch and was about to climb up the stairs when Heather spoke again.

"So that's what I am to you, just your pretend wife who cooks and cleans the house for you?"

"I don't know, may be. How about you, do you even like me?"

"What?"

"What is this, Hemo? Please do tell because I thought we were very clear about this whole set-up from the very beginning. You were the one who made it clear that this was just a business arrangement. You insisted a contract!" Naya yelled in exasperation. She immediately regretted shouting as soon as her eyes met Heather's.

"You know what? You're a jerk." With one last look, Heather walked past Naya and locked herself in her bedroom.

Naya could only sigh.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

"Aren't you going home?"

Heather stopped dancing after hearing Jenna's voice over the music. It was already dark outside and there were no other people left in the studio except her, Jenna and Harry. All the students had gone an hour ago.

Jenna was surprised to see her friend still there after she freshened up. Usually, Heather would be out right after her last class. That had been two hours ago. The blonde didn't even need to speak. Jenna knew something was wrong. She could tell it through her dancing.

"Why are you still here?" Jenna asked.

"Can I lock up? I want to stay here longer." Heather avoided the question.

Jenna sat on a bench and motioned for Heather to come near and sit beside her. Reluctantly, Heather did.

"Lover's tiff?"

"What?"

"Did you have a fight with Naya?"

"How did you know?" Heather was surprised.

"I'm psychic."

"No, you're not."

"Heather, I've known you since we were five. I can sense the problem even if you're a mile away."

"Wanna test that theory?"

"Stop changing the topic and just talk to me." Jenna poked Heather on her side.

"We're just… I don't know."

"What happened?"

Heather sat silently for a moment, contemplating whether to share what happened with Jenna or not. She decided to share.

"Last night, we were supposed to have a late birthday dinner at Il Cielo. I waited an hour and she didn't come… well, she did come, I think, but I was already gone and I found out that the reason why she was late was because she was taking care of a sick Dianna."

"Dianna? The designer? That's her bestfriend, right?" Jenna recalled meeting the blonde designer briefly at the wedding. She had read about her in a few magazines before, often associated with Naya and their other famous friends, Broadway actress Lea Michele and NFL star Max Adler.

Heather just shrugged.

"Wait, are you jealous of her bestfriend?" Jenna's eyes widened at Heather.

"What? No!"

"I didn't know you're the jealous type until now."

"I'm not jealous! I… I waited for her and I looked like fool sitting in that restaurant alone. Naya didn't even call."

"Did she explain why?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Oh, you are _so _jealous."

"I am not."

"How could you be, though? Those two and their merry-band of famous friends are known to be really close. I mean, come on. I'm your bestfriend. If Harry isn't here to take care of me and I'm like dying or something, wouldn't you blow dinner with her and come to my aid instead?"

"That's a silly question. You know my answer to that."

"Exactly. So why are you being like this?"

"She lost her wedding ring."

"She did?"

"And she thought she could just buy a new one and replace it."

"That's why you're mad?"

"Wouldn't you be?"

"This isn't about me, Heather."

"Why do I feel like you're siding with her? You're my friend."

"I'm not taking any sides here. But as an outsider, I think I'm the rational thinker here. Clearly, you're being sentimental, and Naya is, well, the opposite. Heather, does the ring really matter that much? Everybody knows you're married. The world can see how in love you two are."

"Really?"

That was a huge surprise. They had been playing it up for the cameras everytime the two of them went out together, but Heather didn't realize how good their acting had been for the world to actually believe they were in love.

"She married you. You're the one who tied down Hollywood's notorious playgirl. Come on, how many people could say that? You're like a legend. A ring is a just a ring. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have one on my finger one day, but with you and Naya? I think it's a ridiculous thing to fight about."

"Point taken." For the first time that day, there was a genuine smile on Heather's face.

"Now go home, find Naya, and talk to her. Maybe you'd be a little bit more forgiving after your hot make-up sex later." Jenna tried to push the blonde off the bench, but Heather was fast to get away.

"Shut up, Jenna."

"Are you blushing?"

"I'm leaving now!"

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

The house was empty when Heather arrived. She didn't have the appetite to eat dinner alone so, she just took her laptop out, her sticky notes, her note pad, and her other writing materials. She couldn't really write, though.

Later, she heard the door and Naya's footsteps approaching. Heather pretended to be busy writing when Naya rounded the dining area. The blonde kept her eyes on her laptop.

"Hi." Naya broke the silence and took the chair next to Heather.

"Don't distract me."

"If I find it, I'll never lose it again."

Heather turned her head to face Naya. The brunette's features were softer than they usually were. She spoke sincerely and her eyes reflected the honesty in those words.

"I promise."

"Give me your left hand."

Although confused as to why, Naya extended her left hand. Heather took it and picked up a sharpie from the table, uncapped it, and started drawing on Naya's ring finger.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't move." Heather tightened her hold on Naya's hand, and as requested, the actress stopped struggling.

Naya smiled at what seemed like a diamond-studded ring that her wife drew on her ring finger. She didn't stop there, though. Heather also drew a watch on Naya's wrist. Naya did not exert any effort to stop her.

"Ha. Done." Heather displayed a triumphant smile.

Naya pulled her hand closer and inspected it. She grinned.

"Not bad. I'll draw you one too." Naya snatched the sharpie from Heather's hand and pulled the blonde's hand.

"Just the watch. Unlike some people here, I'm a bit more careful with my ring." Heather joked.

"I'll find it, Hemo." That was the most earnest Naya had sounded.

Heather smiled at her.

"I thought you were going to draw me a watch?"

"Right. On with it!" Naya started drawing lines and circles, feeling lighter now that they had made up.

"What's that? It's ugly. I'll draw you sunglasses." Heather tried to get the sharpie back from Naya but her wife stepped back away from her.

"No."

"Oh, yes." Heather's eyes shone with mischief. When Naya bolted, she ran after her.

Thirty minutes and a sharpie later, Naya and Heather sat by the edge of the pool; faces with hideously drawn sunglasses, arms with fake tattoos. They had been laughing at how silly each other looked. Thank god the sharpie was water-based.

They had been sitting in comfortable silence when finally, Heather spoke what was on her mind.

"Our marriage is a marriage too. We fight everyday and you get into my nerves most of the time. But let's do our best until the time that we have to part, okay?"

"Okay."

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

"I thought you said no more tattoos, bee!" Kevin yelled, startling Naya. He couldn't believe it. It was hard enough to hide her other tattoos because they were so many and now, she just had to add another one. The make-up artists are so gonna hate them.

The actress was sitting on her friend's chair inside his office when he walked in and caught her looking at the ring Heather drew last night. She did everything to avoid getting it wet.

Apparently, Kevin thought it was the real deal.

Kevin grabbed Naya's left hand to inspect it. What he saw made him frown. Before he could look closer, the brunette had already jerked her hand away.

"Where did you get that? That looks gruesome." He grimaced. The 'tattoo' looked like it had been made by a drunk three-year old.

"First of all, this isn't a tattoo. Hemo drew it for me."

"Hmm, she must be really bored with you. I'm gonna have to meet with her and convince her not to file for divorce soon." Kevin teased.

"What? No one's filing for divorce. We're fine. I just… I lost my wedding ring."

"Who the fuck loses their wedding?"

"Apparently, I am! It's my fault and my wife knows how sorry I am so please stop giving me crap about it."

"Nice replacement though."

"Thanks. I'll let her know."

"You two are adorable."

Naya felt her cheeks burning at that.

"I'm going home." The brunette vacated Kevin's chair and headed to the door.

"Don't you want to stay for lunch?"

"Nope."

"There must be something good waiting at home, huh?"

Naya just smiled.

When she arrived home, Heather wasn't there.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Earlier that morning, Heather was picked up again by the Rivera family driver. At least Maria called beforehand and she wasn't as scared as the last time to see Naya's family. Grandma Rivera invited her for a 'ladies' day out' and who could say no, especially when your wife's grandmother wasn't taking no for an answer.

So here they were, at an art gallery in Valencia, looking at paintings of artists that Heather hadn't even read about.

She wasn't really into that kind of art.

"Why haven't you visited? Are you and Naya too busy to find time and see us?" Naya's grandmother scolded Heather.

"I'm sorry, Grandma. Naya just signed to do a new movie and she had been caught up with her pre-production meetings. I've been teaching more dance classes recently and I've been writing as well." Heather tried to reason, but Maria just shook her head in disappointment.

"Is that more important than spending time with family?" Maria was clearly upset for not having enough time with her grandchild and granddaughter-in-law.

"No, of course not." Heather saw the comforting smile on Yolanda's face so she continued. "Grandma, I'll make sure Naya would come visit with me soon, okay?"

Maria shrugged in response. Yolanda and Heather exchanged amused looks.

"Maria! I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?" A short, Filipina woman approached and gave Maria a hug. Upon seeing Yolanda, she hugged her as well.

"Hello, Cerina. I'm good. I thought you were in New York." Maria smiled at the woman.

"I was, but it wasn't for me. You know me, this gallery is my life." Cerina's eyes flickered towards Heather, who was standing awkwardly beside Yolanda. Her eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, she must be Heather."

At first, Heather was surprised that the woman knew her name, but then she remembered that her wedding wasn't that private. That wasn't really possible if you were going to marry one of the most famous Hollywood players at the moment.

"Ah, yes, this is Heather, my granddaughter-in-law." Maria said proudly.

"Heather, meet Mrs. Cerina Criss. You must have met her son at your wedding." Yolanda introduced them.

"You're Darren's mom? It's so nice to meet you." Heather reached to shake the woman's hand but instead, she pulled her in a hug.

"Darren told me that Naya was getting married and he was singing to them on their wedding. Heather, you looked even more beautiful in person."

"Thank you."

"You must be really proud, Maria."

"Yes, I am."

Heather smiled. She was more than flattered. She felt like she really belonged with them.

With the Riveras.

Naya had been anxiously waiting with her phone by her side. She was fighting the urge to call the blonde who still wasn't home. It was getting late and she had no idea where the blonde was. Hopefully, she wasn't with Mark.

Brown eyes drifted to their huge wedding picture that had been delivered that afternoon. She was yet to find a place to hang it downstairs so she had it brought to her bedroom, the frame now resting safely against her wall.

It was beautiful.

Finally giving in, Naya picked up her phone and dialed Hemo's number, impatiently waiting for her to answer.

"_Hey."_

"Do you know what time it is? Where are you now?"

"_Why are you yelling? I'm in your room."_

"What are you talking about?" Naya looked around, finding no one. She headed to her walk-in closet but still, Heather wasn't there.

Realization hit her again.

"You're in Valencia?"

"_Who would have thought you were an honor student?" _Heather was looking at the medals lined up on one side of Naya's room. She felt a surge of pride.

"I'm smart. Deal with it." A smiled formed in Naya's lips. She could picture Hemo walking in her childhood bedroom, touching her things.

"_Aww. You looked so cute in this picture."_ Hemo cooed. A giggled escaped her lips.

"What picture?" Naya asked in alarm, remembering that one of the framed photos of her in her room included that one where she was naked in the bathtub.

"_The naked one."_ Hemo grinned.

"Hey, stop perving!"

"_Eww. You were a baby. There's nothing to perve about."_

"Then I want to see your naked baby pictures!"

"_No way."_

"It's only fair."

"_Fine. I'll stop looking."_ Hemo replied, her eyes still shining with mischief. "Hold on a sec." The blonde put the call on hold and took a photo of Naya's baby pic.

"What were you doing?" Naya sounded suspicious.

"_Nothing." _

"You're still staring, aren't you?"

"_Can't help it."_

"Hemo!" Naya whined.

"_Oh, you have paper cranes. They're cute. Did you make them?" _There was a fish bowl full of them.

"It's from Dianna. She made them for me."

Hemo's eyes stopped at another framed photo of two little children on top of the study table. She recognized the brunette one as Naya (that dimple gave her away) and the blonde one was Dianna. They were locked in an embrace, as if they didn't want to let go.

"When we were little, everytime I get sad, Dianna would make a paper crane for me. Those are all the paper cranes she made me."

"_You must have been very sad a lot."_ There was an obvious strain in Heather's voice. She reached for the framed photo and turned it away from her, losing all interest to see the rest of the room.

"Di was the one who had always been there for me. And I had been there for her as well. Everytime she cried, I bought her ice cream, so she would stop." Naya smiled fondly at the memories. It didn't take long for her to notice that Hemo had stayed silent. "Hemo? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"_What am I supposed to say?"_ She didn't mean to sound harsh, but the blonde's mood had shifted and she just wanted to get off the phone.

"Do you want me to pick you up now?" Naya asked, sounding hopeful. The house was quiet without Hemo and regardless of how far Valencia was, she would drive anytime just to pick her wife up.

"_Why would I want that?"_

As Naya scrambled her mind to find a reason, the only one she could come up with was because she wanted her there. But of course she wasn't going to say that. Heather might misinterpret and the last thing Naya wanted was to complicate this, whatever it was that they had.

"Well, what about my breakfast tomorrow? Who's going to make it if you're over there?"

Yes, Naya, be your douche self, that _would _work.

"_Stop talking about food. Is that all you'd ever talk about with me? Forget it, I'm hanging up now."_

"Wait, He-"

Naya sighed. Well, she was probably better off alone anyway.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

It had been hours since Hemo hung up but it seemed like she wasn't going to get some sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, sleep eluded her and when she opened them again, it would lock on the fishbowl full of paper cranes.

When the blonde finally made it to dreamland, it didn't take long for it to turn into a nightmare.

A nightmare that involved a monster made of paper cranes, chasing her.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

**A/N: **Chapter 6 title: THE GREEN-EYED MONSTER


	7. The GreenEyed Monster

**CHAPTER 6**

**THE GREEN-EYED MONSTER**

Naya always thought it was creepy to stare at someone when they were sleeping.

If she woke up to someone staring at her, she'd probably freak out. But that early morning, when she walked into her childhood bedroom in Valencia with a tray of breakfast in her hands, she found herself unable to pry her eyes away from the sleeping form on her bed.

A smile played on her lips.

The brunette took cautious steps towards the bed, making sure not to make so much noise so as not to startle the blonde. The bed dipped as she sat on the edge, carefully setting the tray on her lap and supporting it with her left hand.

Heather was on her side, her lips slightly parted and her blonde hair dangled messily, covering most of her features. She looked so cute with her arms tightly wrapped around Naya's favorite stuffed animal, a Koala bear, that she wasn't able to stop herself from reaching out and pushing the stray hair off of Hemo's face. The pads of her fingers lingered behind the writer's left ear, causing her to stir in her sleep.

Immediately, Naya pulled her hand back. She felt the warm feeling spreading on her cheeks after realizing what she had just done. Fortunately, no one was there to witness it.

"Hemo…" Naya whispered, unsure whether it was too early to rouse her wife from sleep. She looked so peaceful.

The blonde didn't move, but murmured something incoherent, eliciting a giggle from Naya. It would have been fun to just stay there and watch Heather until she wakes up; the funny facial expressions she made when she was asleep were very amusing, but Naya didn't want to give her parents and her grandmother ideas as to why she stayed locked in the bedroom with Heather longer than they should.

It was embarrassing enough to find out that her grandma was convinced they were going at it like bunnies. Nope, Grandma Rivera didn't even bother to filter those thoughts. She demanded for her great-grandchild/grandchildren, preferably twins, as soon as possible. The Rivera matriarch was already suggesting possible baby names that Naya had to storm out of the dining room, her face red as hell as her parents laughed at the interaction. She missed grandma dearly, but she could only take so much. So, to avoid more awkward situations, she decided to escape into her bedroom with Heather's breakfast.

"Wifey, wake up." The actress gently shook Heather's shoulder.

Heather groaned, cuddling tighter into the stuff toy. A few seconds passed before blue eyes fluttered open, finding a pair of browns staring back at her. Still half-asleep, her gaze remained fixed at the brown pair, and watched silently.

"Hi."

Naya's voice was barely audible, not that Heather was listening. She was still trapped in-between reality and dreamland.

"I got you breakfast in bed." Naya gestured at the tray on her lap. The blonde, on the other hand, hardly noticed the delicious smell of waffles in the air.

"You're here." Heather stated gruffly.

The brunette didn't know why, but she found the blonde's morning voice totally sexy. She shook the thoughts right away though, blaming grandma for instilling those impure ideas in her head.

"No, I'm not. You're just dreaming." She joked.

"But you're not made of paper cranes." A look of confusion flashed in the blonde's face.

"What?" Naya chuckled. "Come on, before it gets cold." She urged Heather to get up, touching her arm.

The contact caused Heather to shot out of bed. She sat gaping at Naya, who was looking back at her, befuddled at her reaction. Now fully awake and after realizing that she wasn't dreaming, the blonde felt suddenly embarrassed.

"You're really here." Heather glanced at the digital clock placed on the bedside table and was surprised to find that it was barely 6 a.m. It was way earlier than Naya's wake up time, which meant that the brunette drove up to Valencia before the sun was even up. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm picking you up." Naya set the tray in front of Heather. She took her flat shoes off and got on the bed, making herself comfortable as she sat cross-legged opposite the blonde. When she looked up, she found curious eyes staring at her.

"Why?"

Naya sensed the blonde's sudden aloofness. She could only ascribe it to their conversation that ended weirdly last night, but she couldn't pinpoint the exact reason for Heather's distant attitude.

"How are you supposed to get home?" The brunette handed Heather the knife and fork. It wasn't like there was no means for the blonde. She could have easily gotten home with the BMW chauffeured by the family driver. But when she woke up early that morning, Naya just found herself driving to Valencia.

And it had nothing to do with missing her family.

Heather did not verbalize her response. She just shrugged and started on her waffles.

Naya picked up her cup of coffee and took a sip, watching the blonde through the lid. The writer was keeping quiet and it was odd.

"What's up with you?"

"Nothing."

That was a lie.

"Why are you so quiet?" The brunette sounded worried, trying to recall what happened in their last phone conversation. It had been generally pleasant, though the change of mood on the blonde's part had been noticeable. She couldn't remember what she said wrong, but whatever it was, she thought the blonde would just sleep on it.

"I'm eating."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No."

"Last night, you sounded-"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Naya." Heather snapped in frustration, surprising Naya with her outburst.

Heather knew the exact reason for her foul mood. She wasn't irritated at Naya; she was irritated at herself. As her eyes flickered briefly at the direction of the fishbowl filled with paper cranes, she was reminded of the confusing feelings that were causing chaos in her mind.

She didn't like those feelings at all.

She was perfectly aware of their set-up from the very beginning. It seemed simple. One year of marriage and then they'd get a divorce.

Then Naya lost her wedding ring and Heather flipped. The memory of their argument still surprised her. The things she told Naya surprised her more.

Did it really matter to her what that ring stood for? Sure, they kicked ass with their wedding vows, but did she mean any part of it? Did Naya? Why did she react like she did when Naya acted like the ring was replaceable?

And then there's Naya's bestfriend, Dianna. The fashion designer had been in the brunette's life longer than she had. Of course, they cared about each other. They probably would, forever. Dianna had been there for Naya in all those bad times. Heck, she filled up a fishbowl of paper cranes to cheer her up. If Naya wanted to spend time with her bestfriend, did she even have the right to prevent her?

She envied Dianna for those times.

And Heather didn't even understand why.

She was getting caught up with this whole marriage thing and Heather had no one to blame but herself. Heather knew she had to keep her distance, before she got in too deep and lost in the lie. It was just a business arrangement. It's important for her to remember that and not get carried away.

Heather didn't realize she was being watched as she got lost deep in her thoughts.

Naya worried about what was bothering her wife. Trying to lighten up the mood, she tried on small talk.

"Grandma wants twins."

Heather didn't look up. But from where Naya sat, she could see the blonde's eyebrows knit in confusion. The actress continued.

"She thinks she's not going to live long enough to meet the great grandchildren so she wants us to hurry up with the baby-making." Naya laughed at the memory, looking slightly flustered as she did so. "It was embarrassing but of course, my parents thought it was funny. Grandma knows just how to embarrass me. You're so lucky you weren't there."

The blonde was still avoiding Naya's eyes, but the brunette could see the corner of Heather's lips, tugging up into a smile.

"She wants a boy and a girl. Not like we'd have a choice on the gender, but she's got names prepared already! Can you believe her? She wanted to name them Andres and Sofia. Grandma wouldn't leave me alone until I agree, so I ran out of there as fast as I could." Naya animatedly told the blonde, relieved to finally see the smile on her face.

"Those are cute names." Heather tried to imagine how that conversation took place, and it was amusing.

"Yeah. I like the name Andres." Naya stared at nothing in particular, images of a little brunette boy with blue eyes flashing in her mind, thinking that Andres would have been the elder twin and a protective brother to Sofia. He'd love sports and would have learned football from his Uncle Mychal.

The brunette just had to smile.

"I like Sofia." Heather was doing a little pondering of her own.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." The blonde was absentmindedly poking her waffles with her fork. She didn't really have the appetite to eat. But just like Naya, she had her own images of a little brunette kid with blue eyes running through her head. The only difference was that the image of hers was that of a young girl. "I bet they'd be really cute."

"Of course. Have you seen us? We couldn't possibly make babies that aren't cute. That would be an anomaly." Naya smirked, looking smug as she watched Heather pull off the blanket covering her legs and climbed out of bed.

"Too bad we're never gonna have them." A rather sad smile formed in Heather's lips.

Naya's opened her mouth, but no response came out. The images of the two brunette toddlers blurred as reality came back slapping her in the face.

There wasn't going to be an Andres.

There wasn't going to be a Sofia.

Grandma's not going to have her twin great-grandchildren.

"Naya?"

Her head snapped at the direction of the door where Heather seemed to be waiting for her.

"We should head home now. Let's go say goodbye to your parents and grandmother."

"Okay." Naya softly replied, her eyes following Heather as she disappeared from her sight. As soon as the blonde was gone, she let out a deep sigh, a feeling of uneasiness settling at the pit of her stomach.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

"You two are so cute."

Jenna's voice made Heather look up. She was in her usual classroom at Harry's dance studio and had just finished tying up the laces of her sneakers when her friend got her attention. She threw a brief look at her students who were scattered all over the room, enjoying their short break, before turning her curious eyes back to Jenna.

"Are you talking to me?" Heather pointed to herself.

"Of course I'm talking to you. Naya took her iPhone out and showed a picture of that ring you drew on her finger and the audience melted. Everybody was like, 'aww, that's so adorable'!" Jenna clapped her hands, looking giddy as she talked to Heather.

The blonde just stared at her, more perplexed than ever.

"Last night, Jimmy Fallon?" Jenna gave her a weird look.

During her guest appearance the previous night, as expected, Jimmy Fallon asked Naya about her new status as a married woman. The lack of wedding ring did not go past the interviewer and Naya told him an edited story of how it happened. She clarified that it wasn't lost, just missing.

Yes, there's a difference.

"Oh, right, her interview."

"You didn't watch it?"

"I fell asleep writing." She shrugged.

Heather knew about Naya's guest appearance at the Late Night Show. Naya even asked her to come with her to New York but she made up an excuse to avoid having to go with her. The brunette did not force her but was obviously disappointed. She felt guilty for lying, but she had to. She didn't want to get too attached. Her involvement with Naya's family was already complicating things for her. With the confusing feelings she'd been having lately, the last thing she needed was to get too close to Naya as well.

_Keeping distance, remember?_

She steered clear from the television all night, purposely avoiding Naya's episode with Jimmy Fallon. Heather need not be repeatedly reminded of the lies she made up just to avoid being with Naya.

"Seriously? You slept on your wife's most charming interview, ever? I didn't even know Naya was capable of being a sap like that." While Jenna wasn't a die-hard Naya fan, she had seen enough interviews of the brunette to see the difference. Naya seemed happier, funnier. When she made fun of how stupid she had been for taking off her wedding ring, she totally won the crowd. She seemed genuinely regretful.

Heather's lips formed into an amused smile.

"A sap? Naya?" The blonde looked at her friend in disbelief. Maybe she should have watched the interview, Heather thought.

"You're not fighting again, are you?" Jenna narrowed her eyes at her friend.

"No. We're fine." Heather got up from the chair she was sitting on and headed back to the dance floor, motioning to her students that they were going to start all over again.

Before they started, however, the blonde turned around towards Jenna's direction again, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"She took a photo of the ring that I drew?" Heather found it hard to hold back a smile.

"Yeah. You could have used a little help though." Jenna joked.

"Shut up." Heather laughed. She would have if she knew it was going to be shown on national TV.

"That girl is so in love with you." Jenna grinned, shaking her head. She turned to leave the room; the comment leaving Heather with flustered cheeks.

In an attempt to ignore and forget her friend's observation, Heather focused her attention back to her class.

"Places!" Heather called her students.

The first recognizable tune of the Pussycat Dolls' song, Buttons, blared through the speakers and Naya could hear Snoop Dogg's muffled rapping as she got nearer the room where Jenna pointed Heather would be. She had just arrived from New York and was completely exhausted, but knowing that her wife was still stuck in dance class, she headed straight to Harry's studio.

Just as Heather turned around to get back into position in front of the class for their last set of practice, the door opened and someone in a Yankees cap and aviator shades entered. The guest didn't even have to take her disguise off for Heather to know who it was.

Heather sighed.

The actress took her cap and sunglasses off and when her eyes met Heather's, Naya smiled. It was that kind of smile that reached her eyes. She waved at Heather and mouthed a 'hi', causing the blonde to smile.

_So much for keeping distance._

She almost jumped when somebody whispered too close to her ear.

"Oh my god, your wife is even hotter in person."

Heather felt the warmth in her cheeks as one of her younger students, teenage cheerleader Jessica, shamelessly stared at her wife over her shoulder.

"You wouldn't mind if I take a picture with her, right?" The hopeful teen nudged her dance teacher.

"Get back to position, Jess." The blonde replied brusquely. The tone wasn't intended but she wasn't able to hide her displeasure at the unnecessary attention her wife was getting.

Heather could hear the sudden whispering among her students as she walked towards her wife, who was now sitting comfortable on the long bench. They were fawning over her famous wife's unexpected appearance and she couldn't really blame them.

Naya sizzled even in her tattered skin-tight jeans and plain white v-neck.

Stopping about three feet away, with the handle bar separating them, she crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow at the brunette.

"You're causing a riot."

"I still got it." Naya looked like a total dork as she fist-pumped into the air.

"You're a dork." Heather snickered.

"A _hot _dork." The brunette corrected her. She leaned closer then whispered, "And you're supposed to kiss this hot dork, babe."

"What-" A scowl was already plastered on her face, but before Heather could snarl at Naya, she saw her students through the mirror behind her wife, trying to be discreet as they spied on them. She fought the urge to roll her eyes; they weren't really that subtle.

She knew what Naya meant. It was show time.

Heather took a few steps closer to Naya. She leaned over the handle bar, ignoring the pounding of her heart against her chest, bending down as Naya met her halfway. Her lips captured Naya's in a short, gentle, kiss. It ended too soon. Heather immediately pulled away as soon as she felt Naya's face move in an attempt to change their angle, presumably to deepen the kiss.

Naya groaned in what seemed like a protest after the sudden lost of contact.

Heather fought the urge to lean in again and ease the brunette's obvious frustration.

"Did you just get back?" The blonde spoke, averting an awkward silence that would have fallen between them after that kiss.

"Yeah."

"Why are you here?"

"I just wanted to pick you up."

"You're making a habit of picking me up without asking me."

"I'm being a good wife. I figured that since we're going to be married for a year, we might as well get along and enjoy our time together… in a rated PG kind of way." The brunette teased the blonde.

That got Heather rolling her eyes.

"I'm not done with class."

"I'll wait."

"You'll get bored."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No. I just don't want to hear you complain. You're the most impatient person I know."

"No complaints, I promise. Try not to embarrass yourself." Naya continued with the teasing. She had been gone two days and while she would never admit it openly, she missed talking with Hemo.

"Yeah, well, try not to drool too much." Heather teased back. Feeling a bit playful, she gave Naya a cute wink, then twirled around and strutted her way back to the dance floor with her students. She could hear Naya laughing at their lighthearted banter.

This was one of those rare times that they didn't annoy each other.

While Naya knew that Heather was a dancer, she hadn't really had the opportunity to witness how good she was. Sometimes, at home, she could hear the blonde practicing in her bedroom, but she was a bit embarrassed to ask if she could watch. Hemo would probably just take it as perving, and well, Naya most definitely wasn't a pervert.

She had been curious. In the few conversations she had with Harry and Jenna, they couldn't help but gush about how great of a dancer her wife was.

Well, she was about to find out.

She should have come prepared. Though there was really nothing that could have prepared her for the amount of the sexy burlesque dancing her wife was about to perform.

"Okay guys, button it up. From the top!" Heather yelled the instructions over the loud music. She signaled at the person manning the sound system and the song Buttons restarted again.

As Heather and her students imitated that sexy catwalk by the Pussycat Dolls before getting into position, Naya's interest perked up even more.

_I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
>But you keep fronting (Uh)<br>Saying what you going to do to me (Uh huh)  
>But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)<br>_

Heather and her students (five of them) moved in sync as they raised their hands above their heads, swaying them in a circular motion down to their hips. Naya's eyes zeroed in on the blonde as Heather dipped her hips lower, opening her legs in that sexy PCD way before turning to the other direction. Heather got back up, pointing forward before bending down again, her hands on her legs, then slowly pulling her upper body back up.

Blue eyes lifted up to meet brown ones and locked with them.

_Typical  
>Hardly the type I fall for<br>I'm liking the physical  
>Don't leave me asking for more<br>I'm a sexy mama (Mama)_

Without realizing it, Naya had been watching with her mouth hanging open. The song was barely halfway and there were more swaying and dipping of hips than she could count. Naya's eyes followed Heather's right hand as it trailed seductively on the top button of her shirt and as she continued with her dance moves, and when her long fingers started playing with her buttons, the brunette gulped in anticipation.

_Who knows just how to get what I want and (Want and)  
>What I want to do is spring this on you (On you)<br>Back up all of the things that I told you (Told you)_

_You been saying all the right things all along  
>But I can't seem to get you over here to help take this off<em>

Naya's mouth suddenly felt dry as Heather started unbuttoning her shirt. As if on slow motion, one by one, buttons were popped free, revealing the light, sweaty skin underneath.

She unconsciously licked her lips as Heather's eyes focused on her, scorching, making her clear her throat at the intensity of the stare.

_Baby, can't you see?  
>How these clothes are fitting on me<br>And the heat coming from this beat  
>I'm about to blow<br>I don't think you know_

She was too busy ogling at Heather dancing to the beat to notice that the shirt the blonde had taken off was already flying towards her, smacking her right in the face. Naya scrambled to pull the shirt off her, making sure not to miss more of her wife's dance routine.

It was a comical sight.

Naya's eyes bulged out and she almost toppled off her seat when Heather and her group started cat-walking towards her, with the blonde in the middle. She didn't realize they were heading for the handle bars, until Heather placed her hands on it. Slowly, she slid them on opposite directions as she leaned over, her face moving closer towards Naya and pink lips mouthing the lyrics to the song.

_I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
>But you keep fronting (Uh)<br>Saying what you going to do to me (Uh huh)  
>But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)<br>_

Her efforts to keep her eyes at Heather's face level were fruitless, it was useless to try. They kept drifting downwards, gawking at Heather's tight abs, now glistening with sweat. It took every ounce of energy she had to keep her hands to herself.

_I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
>But you keep fronting (Uh)<br>Saying what you going to do to me (Uh huh)  
>But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)<em>

Was it possible to make out with a handle bar? Because seriously, if Naya was to describe what her wife was doing right now, that was it.

Then Heather dropped to her knees before slowly, and teasingly, popping back up.

_You say you're a big boy  
>But I can't agree<br>'Cause the love you said you had  
>Ain't been put on me<br>I wonder  
>If I'm just too much for you<br>Wonder  
>If my kiss don't make you just<br>Wonder  
>What I got next for you<br>What you want to do? (Do)  
><em>

Naya loudly cleared her throat for the second time. She grabbed her Yankees cap and started fanning herself, wondering why it felt hotter than usual. The beads of sweat were already forming on the side of her forehead and she could feel them.

She made a mental note to advise Harry to have the AC system checked.

The brunette was relieved and was able to finally breathe as Heather and her group turned and walked back to the dance floor. The relief did not last though, as each of them pulled a chair from the far end of the room.

Imagine Nicole Scherzinger in their Buttons video.

Now Heather was making out with the chair. _ Oh. God._

_Take a chance to recognize that this could be yours  
>I can see, just like most guys that your game don't please<br>Baby, can't you see?  
>How these clothes are fitting on me<br>And the heat coming from this beat  
>I'm about to blow<br>I don't think you know_

Naya didn't realize how flustered she was as the lyrics of the song repeated in her head. Personally, she had seen one of the last Pussycat Dolls's concerts, but the dance had never been as sexy as this.

Maybe it was because Heather wasn't there.

_I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
>But you keep fronting (Uh)<br>Saying what you going to do to me (Uh huh)  
>But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)<em>

A few more chorus later, the song came to an end, and Heather caught her wife's gaze. She grinned upon seeing Naya still gaping at her. In mock courtesy, she curtsied, before dragging her feet towards the far right side of the room where her she left her things. She was tired as hell and couldn't wait to leave.

Naya's face felt hot, and she was still fanning herself with her Yankees cap, forcing her eyes away from the blonde. She had done enough staring today to be considered creepy. That's when she noticed she wasn't alone.

There was someone on her left, a guy, sitting a few feet away, looking intently at someone on the dance floor. When Naya followed his gaze to find out who he was gawking at, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

_What the fuck?_

Shameless guy was staring at her wife. What she didn't understand was when Heather threw a smile at his direction. Naya almost lost it. She marched to the guy, hands on her hips, eyes judging.

"Hey, eyes up here, Macaulay Culkin."

He gave her an appraising look. The blonde guy just smiled and shook his head at her.

"Naya, right?"

"And who the fuck are you?"

The guy did not respond. He just turned his eyes back at Heather. Her blood went straight to her brain when she noticed him blatantly staring at Heather's ass, who was just then picking up her things from the floor, at one corner of the studio.

She snapped her fingers in front of his face. It took too much energy to not just punch him and break those awful big lips in two.

"Look you depraved little pervert, I'm giving you the chance here to turn your eyes away from my wife before I lose it and go all ape shit on your ass."

"She's hot."

"Damn right. And she's MY hot wife."

"You're lucky."

"So why don't you wipe that drool off your face and get that guppy face out of this-"

"What's going on here?" Heather was now a few feet away, wearing a fresh pair of shirt and walking towards them with her bag strapped on her right shoulder, a questioning look on her face.

"Hey Heather." Guppy face nodded at Heather with his annoyingly goofy smile.

"Hi Chord." Heather smiled back at Chord.

That interaction was more than enough to make Naya's blood boil. She was seething. She wanted nothing but to pull her wife out of the studio and make sure they never ran into trouty mouth again, but at the same time, she was intrigued.

"You know this perve?" Naya pointed rudely at Chord, but Heather was fast to hold her pointing fingers down.

Heather gives Naya that 'be nice' look.

"He's not a perve. He's my, uh… friend."

Naya gauged Heather's reluctance to call this perve a 'friend', sensing that this guy was anything but a 'friend' to the blonde. She tried to catch her eyes, but Heather kept looking down. Internally, she struggled with wanting and not wanting to know.

"He was staring at your boobs and your ass!" Naya tried to justify.

"He wasn't the only one." Heather grinned at her, looking smug as she lifted her gaze back up at the brunette.

Naya blushed. She crossed her arms defensively.

"Totally not the point."

"So you were staring then. Did you enjoy the show?" Heather playfully poked Naya on the side of her hips, completely forgetting that they weren't alone.

Chord sat watching in amusement.

"I have the right to do that. You're my wife!" Naya swatted Heather's poking hand and stepped a little further from the blonde.

Heather let out an exaggerated sigh.

"I'm sorry Chord. My wife's the jealous type."

"No I'm not!" Naya grabbed Heather's hand and stuggled to pull her as far away as possible from the smirking douche. She didn't like the way he was smiling at them.

_So condescending. _

"Hemo?" Naya looked at Heather, puzzled when she didn't move from where she stood. The blonde was suddenly quiet and the smile had disappeared from her lips, and Naya didn't like where this was going.

"Uh, can I have a minute? I have to talk to him."

Naya noticed Chord's sudden discomfort. She was still clutching tightly onto Heather's hand, and she wasn't that keen on letting go. Especially if it was him she was leaving Heather with.

"What could you possibly talk about with this guy?" She snarled at the blonde.

"Please… babe?"

Naya felt the flush on her cheeks as Heather squeezed her hand in reassurance. The term of endearment was new from Hemo and that made it hard for her to say no.

"Fine. I have to go to the bathroom anyway." Naya sent a warning look at trouty mouth's direction before walking towards the door. Before she got further away, she turned again, glaring at Chord. "And you, you better not get any closer or I'll…"

Heather shot her an amused look.

"Just stay there and don't move." Naya warned, before turning to Heather. "Both of you."

Heather's eyes remained glued on her wife as she watched Naya exit the room. Chord's voice snatched her attention back.

"Nice to see you again, Heather."

"Yeah. It's been a long time… When did you get back?" Heather chose to keep her distance, standing a few feet away from him.

"Just in time to hear that you had just gotten married to a Hollywood superstar." There was a bit of grief in his voice.

Heather felt sorry for him. It had been years, she had moved on. All this time, she expected that he had done the same. That didn't seem like the case, though.

"How's married life treating you?" Chord tried to break the awkward silence that they suddenly fell into.

"It's an adventure."

"I thought marriage wasn't for you."

Heather let out a deep sigh. When she told Naya that she had to talk to Chord, she knew that this conversation was going to touch on their break-up eventually. But they had to have this talk. They needed closure.

Chord needed closure.

"It wasn't for us." Heather didn't want to hurt him, but she wanted to give him the truth.

Chord, who was still sitting on the bench, looked up to meet the sad, apologetic eyes of his ex. When he came by unannounced, he was hoping that they could talk. Maybe try to see if there was still something there. What he didn't expect to see was her famous wife. He also didn't expect a very protective and very jealous Naya Rivera.

He had lost Heather a long time ago.

And it seemed impossible to get her back now.

_Not when she's so happy and in love._

"Well, I'm glad you found the one." He pried his eyes away from Heather's blue ones, not wanting to get emotional. "Your wife is kind'a scary." Chord continued in an attempt to ease the tension between them.

"Yeah, but I love her anyway." The word 'love' just slipped from Heather's lips without her being able to stop it. Even the dancer was surprised with herself.

On the other side of the wall, near the door that was purposely left ajar, Naya froze to where she hid. But the shock was momentary as it was replaced by confusion. While she felt elated by the 'love declaration' from Heather, she also felt a little bit guilty.

Both Heather and Naya wondered whether or not the blonde was just playing it up to keep their show on.

Naya did not see the blush that tinted the blonde's cheeks.

"I can see that."

"I knew you liked girls but I never thought of you marrying one, and one you barely know."

"It's interesting to discover new things about her everyday. She can be really sweet, you know." Heather smiled, thinking of the cute Lion King mask that was still on her bedside table back home.

_Ha, score!_

Naya felt like doing the 'Naya Dance'. She would have, if Jenna wasn't giving her that suspicious look from the reception table. Naya played it off like she was just waiting for Heather to come out.

"I missed you."

Naya stiffened at that. This guy had the nerve to tell that to HER wife? Who the hell did he think he is? She wanted nothing but to smack him but at the same time, she was curious to know how Heather felt. Did she miss trouty mouth as well?

Silently, she wished Hemo didn't.

The lack of response unsettled the brunette. Did she nod, did she shake her head? Or maybe she didn't respond at all?

All those thoughts were swirling through her head as she heard Chord speak again.

"What's different about her?"

"I don't know… She's- a handful." Heather couldn't help but smile at the thought of Naya. The brunette was often playful to the point of annoying. She had mood swings although she had to push her to really anger her. Naya was actually really sweet and funny.

"Does it feel right with her?"

The blonde contemplated on what to say, although there was really no other answer to that. Since she was married to Naya, the right answer would only be 'yes'. Keeping true to her role, she gave him a nod.

On the other side of the wall, near the door, Naya squirmed when she did not hear Heather's answer.

The chat with Chord did not last any longer. Heather found Naya standing idly by the reception desk with Jenna. When Naya saw her, the brunette said a short goodbye to Jenna and without waiting for the blonde, she went ahead to the parking lot. Heather turned her inquisitive eyes to her friend, who just shrugged in response.

Jenna wasn't really sure about the sudden change in Naya's behavior. Although the actress was obviously exhausted when she arrived, she was particularly jovial and excited, an exact contrast when she came out of Heather's class later. She had a feeling it had something to do with the appearance of Chord Overstreet, her friend's ex.

Heather proceeded to leave. Jenna gave her a sympathetic smile.

The drive to their house was quiet. When she climbed next to Naya in the passenger seat, the brunette did not say a word, nor did she throw a glance at her. Heather thought it better not to pry. That would just annoy her wife, and she had no more energy to argue.

"Trouty mouth wasn't just a friend, was he?" Naya finally spoke.

"Don't call him that."

"Well…?" The brunette impatiently prodded.

"He's my ex."

"Ex-boyfriend?"

"Ex-fiance." Heather admitted.

Naya turned silent again. Heather turned her head to face her, attempting to read her but failed. The actress was staring blankly on the road. It was after a few minutes that Naya spoke again.

"So, uh, why didn't you go through with it?"

"It didn't feel right."

And then there was that feeling again; the feeling of guilt. Finding out about this part of Heather's past was aggravating. She almost got married, to a guy that she probably loved, but she decided to call it off because it didn't feel right.

That was honorable.

Then she got herself involved with Naya and her world.

Here she was now, together in matrimony with Naya, in a timed-marriage that would last a year. Marriage meant a lot to Heather, that, Naya could tell by the decision she made in the past. But she trapped her in a meaningless one.

Naya winced at the guilt that settled on her gut.

"And I forced you into it." The brunette spoke, more to herself than to Heather. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"You didn't force me. I chose to marry you." Heather reassured her wife. Still, that didn't help ease the distress Naya was feeling at the moment.

"Did you love him?"

"Yes."

"Uh… Do you still love him?"

"No." Heather answered, an amused smile playing on her lips. Why did Naya even have to ask? She obviously had no feelings for Chord anymore. Otherwise, she wouldn't be married to the brunette. She married Naya free from any emotional attachments to anyone.

Then Heather remembered something.

"Hey, stop the car."

"Why?" Naya asked, feeling a little bit better after their talk. She was a bit confused at the request, but was already slowing the car down to the side of the road.

"Just do as I say."

Naya pulled the car into a stop on the side of the road. Heather then reached for her left hand and slid something that felt cold against Naya's ring finger. When she looked to see what it was, her jaw dropped.

It was her wedding ring.

"How did you-"

"You didn't leave it at Dianna's."

"I didn't?" Naya looked baffled at the blonde. She was quite sure that she took it off at Dianna's house.

"It was wrapped on a tissue in your coat pocket. You were on your way to New York when I found it."

Naya lifted her hand to look at the wedding ring closely. She lifted her other hand and ran a finger over the ring before looking back up to Heather with a smile.

"Thank you."

"I'm sorry for giving you so much crap for losing it."

"No. I'm sorry for taking it off. I'll never take it off again."

"You promise?"

"Only if you promise never to take off yours as well."

"I promise."

"Pinky swear?" Naya raised her left pinkie.

Heather chuckled before lifting her own left pinkie to interlock it with Naya's.

"Pinky swear."

"So, uhm, don't I get like, a kiss or something?" Naya joked.

"Don't push your luck." Heather playfully shoved Naya.

They were both laughing and the brunette was about to pull out of their parking when her iPhone rang. Naya picked up her headset from the console and tucked it in her ear. She mouthed an 'excuse me' to Heather before answering the call with a huge smile on her face.

"Hi Grandma… We're doing great, I just got back from New York today… You've seen it?... Yeah, about that, well…" The smile on Naya's face turned into a grimace. She threw a brief, helpless glance at Heather that got the blonde confused. "I know, that was stupid of me… Yeah, but… Grandma…" Naya whined.

Heather had an idea as to what grandma was talking to Naya about. She wanted to laugh at the priceless look on her wife's face. Naya couldn't even get in a sentence to defend herself.

"I've apologized to her already… Of course she forgave me… We found the ring already… Yeah, she's with me right now. Do you want to talk to her?... What?" Naya screeched. She looked horrified.

"What? What did she say?" Heather was surprised when Naya shrieked and now she was nervous. Naya waved a hand, motioning that she'd tell her later.

"But, Grandma… No… We haven't cleaned up in days… Well, I was in New York and Hemo had been busy with her work at the studio… Can we set it another date? But grandma… Hello? Grandma?" Naya frowned. She snatched her iPhone from the console and that confirmed her suspicions.

Grandma just hung up on her.

She and Heather were about to be in deep shit.

"Crap. She hung up on me!" Naya pulled the headset off her ear and threw it grudgingly back into the console.

"Care to tell me what just happened?" Heather asked her, arching an eyebrow.

"We need to get back home and move your things into my room as fast as we could." Naya pulled her Range Rover out of parking and resumed driving.

"Why?"

"Because mom and grandma are on their way and they are coming to stay overnight."

"What?"

"It would be weird if they found our things in different bedrooms."

"Well, can't we move your things to my room?"

"Your room is too small. My clothes wouldn't fit."

Naya broke all speed limits and as soon as they arrived home, they scrambled inside and rushed to move all of Heather's things into Naya's bedroom.

It was almost forty-five minutes later when the door bell rang.

Naya didn't have time to change clothes as she dashed downstairs to open the door. It revealed the two Rivera women. One of them smiling, and the other, well, scowling.

You guess.

"Why are you all sweaty?" Grandma scrutinized her from head to foot.

"Huh?" Naya's face was flushed due to all the moving and rearranging that they had done. She heard the footsteps from the direction of the stairs and just as expected, Heather came into view of her in-laws.

"Hi mom! And grandma! I'm glad you could make it." A genuine smile played on Heather's lips as she approached the elder women. She gave both of them a hug, and after she pulled away from grandma, the old woman shifted her eyes back to her grandchild before turning them back to her equally sweaty in-law.

A look of enlightenment dawned on the old woman's face.

"Oh, we didn't interrupt anything, did we?" Grandma asked. Yolanda looked amused.

Heather and Naya exchanged confused looks, taking in each other's appearance. Then they realized what grandma was trying to imply.

They blushed at the same time.

"Oh god, no. We're…" Heather turned helplessly at her wife.

"Yeah, we we're just… exercising." Naya mentally slapped herself.

"I'm sure you were." Grandma said, before walking into the house, smiling. Naya's eyes followed her grandmother.

"That was embarrassingly awkward." Naya shook her head.

"You know your grandmother is just teasing you." Yolanda smiled at her daughter.

"Hi, mom."

Naya hugged her mom and kissed her on the cheek before leading her to the house. Yolanda caught when Naya grabbed Heather's hand and intertwined it with hers.

Mom smiled at the gesture.

On the other hand, Heather's cheeks remained tinted with red.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

It had been an interesting night. Thank god Yolanda brought dinner which meant that Heather's in-laws did not have to experience her disastrous cooking. They ate by the pool and chatted the night away. Mom told Heather some of Naya's stories growing up, while Grandma made sure not to be left out by telling her own Naya stories, more particularly the embarrassing ones.

Naya had to cover her face most of the time to hide her embarrassment.

Heather enjoyed listening to them. She felt like she knew Naya a little bit more. It was those stories about Naya being a protective friend that she loved the most. She couldn't help but smile as she imagined the small brunette tackling the big school bully for picking on her smaller friend, Chris Colfer, during prep school. Heather remembered meeting him at their wedding.

Chris wasn't the only friend Naya defended when she was younger. The caring brunette also came to Mark's rescue in highschool when their own friend, Max Adler, broke his nose over a girl. Granted, it was Mark's fault for being such an asshole, but she was really close to him at that time. They had each other's backs in highschool.

There were also stories that involved Dianna but Heather tuned out on those.

Regrettably, the night came to an end. Grandma and Mom shared Heather's bedroom. And Heather, well, it was only now that she realized that moving her things into Naya's room also meant that she was to move as well, which meant that they were to share the bed.

It was like their 'honeymoon' at Zihuatanejo all over again.

"Looks like we have to share." Naya's voice broke through Heather's thoughts, gesturing at the Queen-sized bed as she came out from her walk-in closet in her shorts and tank tops.

"Yeah." The blonde nodded, standing awkwardly on the side of the bed.

"Which side do you want?" The brunette sounded calm and collected, but she was panicking inside. She managed to avoid this situation in Zihuatanejo, but there wasn't any choice now with her mom and grandmother in the next room.

The images of the dance routine earlier and Heather's well-defined abs weren't helping either.

Naya cleared her throat, forcing the images away.

"The right." Heather answered.

"Great. I prefer the left." Naya smiled and sat on the bed. She lay down, settled underneath the comforter and turned off the lamp on her side. As she tried to ignore the increased pace of her heartbeat, she sensed the blonde's reluctance to join her.

Naya turned to see Heather still standing awkwardly.

"Are you going to sleep, or-"

"You're not going to push me off the bed again, are you?"

Naya chuckled nervously.

"No."

Reluctantly, Heather got on the bed and under the comforter as well. Naya's breath hitched as the blonde's knee accidentally brushed with her thigh. Without being obvious, Naya scooted a little bit further from the writer as the blonde switched off the lamp on her side. The brunette rolled to her other side, facing away from her wife.

Damn, it had been a long time since she had slept beside someone.

And that someone had been naked.

"Stop it, Naya." She berated herself.

"Did you say something?" Heather scowled in the dark. She was lying on her back, her eyes fixed on the ceiling.

Naya's eyes widened at the realization that she actually said those thoughts aloud.

"Oh, uhm, I was just saying goodnight… Goodnight, wifey." Naya said softly.

Heather smiled at the term 'wifey'. Naya seemed so fond of calling her that. And she wasn't complaining.

"Goodnight, Nay…"

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

There had been a lot of tossing and turning. Naya wasn't really keeping track. She was desperate to sleep but despite her exhaustion from the day's activities, she was still widely awake. She was restless. When she changed position again, this time turning on her other side that she had been avoiding because it meant she would be facing Heather, she found a pair of blue eyes staring at her.

That's where she got lost.

As it turned out, Naya wasn't the only one having a hard time sleeping.

Instead of closing her eyes and try sleeping again, Naya stared back.

Seconds passed, and then minutes. Neither of them said or did anything. They just lay there, facing each other, letting their eyes do the talking. Naya didn't know who moved first, but now they lay closer to each other. She could feel the blonde's warm breath on her face. Heather's knees were brushing against the skin on her thighs again, but this time, she didn't move away. The touch sent jolts of sensation through every part of her being.

Brown eyes flickered lower, locking on pink lips. Unconsciously, Naya's own lips parted. She felt like she was being pulled towards her wife by an invisible force. The air was suddenly thick with tension, and Naya tried hard to fight the pull. It turned out she wasn't that strong and losing all sense of rationality, she moved in for a kiss that wasn't going to be like any of those kisses they'd had before.

Naya's lips pressed against Heather's, glad that the blonde did not push her away as she initially expected. The kiss was soft, gentle and tentative. With her eyes closed, the brunette started exploring, feeling as if it was their first time. When Heather's lips started moving with her own, she suddenly felt bold and let her tongue brush against her wife's upper lip.

The moan that came out of Heather's mouth made the brunette shudder.

Naya felt Heather's hand on the side of her face, stroking its way down the nape of her neck and latched onto it. She found herself crawling on top of the blonde, propping herself on an elbow while her other hand tangled with Heather's hair. Her blonde locks felt so soft against her hand, and Naya wondered why she hadn't tried touching them before.

Naya started sucking on Heather's bottom lip, eliciting another moan from the writer. Desperate for more, the brunette slipped her tongue out, urging and coaxing for Heather's lips to part. When her unspoken request was granted and Heather's tongue met hers, Naya felt an explosion of sparks behind her eyelids. Their tongues moved sensually against each other. She tilted her head, and Heather let her tongue slip even deeper. The pale hand clutching at the back of Naya's neck tightened, pulling her closer, another guttural moan coming out of her mouth as she did so. Heather's other hand was now slowly dragging on the lower part of Naya's back, her touch tender, yearning.

Naya was becoming breathless, but she refused to pull away. She continued kissing Heather as if her life depended on it. With her hand lazily stroking the side of Heather's neck, she pulled it lower, settling on the writer's chest, right on top of her heart.

Heather's heart was beating frantically, just like Naya's.

Naya had kissed so many before. Her fingers wouldn't be enough to count them. But there was never a time that she had felt like this; so connected and so contented. Kissing had never been this good. It had never felt so right before. This reminded her of those fairy tales her mother read to her when she was a child, that perfect kiss in the end after the princess found her prince charming.

This kiss was perfect.

It was everything a kiss should be.

Eventually, the need for air became too much, but as she was about to pull away, she felt herself being rolled over. It was clear what the blonde's intention was, but she miscalculated, causing her to-

BAM!

Naya was dropped ungracefully on the floor. It was a good thing that the floor around the bed was carpeted; it muffled the sound of her fall and at the same time, knocked them back to their senses. Naya immediately got back into her feet, more embarrassed than ever. Her wife switched on the lamp at once.

The light revealed how flustered they both were.

Heather sat flustered on the edge of the bed, looking worried at the brunette. On the other hand, Naya stood awkwardly by the bed, not knowing what to say or do after what they had just done.

"That was, uhm…" Heather spoke first. She knew someone had to break the ice eventually, but didn't get to finish her sentence. She didn't really know what to say.

"I'm sorry about…" Naya trailed off. She wasn't sure what she was apologizing for. Certainly, she wasn't sorry for kissing Heather and she wasn't going to lie about that.

"Yeah…" Heather said, not letting the brunette finish. "Are you okay? Did you-"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." Naya dismissively waved her hands. The fall wasn't that painful. It was the humiliation that was making her feel worse.

"Good." Heather nodded, her eyes avoiding Naya's.

"Good." Naya repeated. "I didn't mean to…" Her eyes were looking at everywhere but Heather.

"What?" Blue eyes snapped back to Naya's direction.

"Nothing." Naya shook her head frantically, hoping that Heather wouldn't get any wrong ideas. She felt like her brain was going to short circuit any moment with what just happened and everything that was happening now.

"I think I've had too much red wine." The blonde gave as an excuse.

"Uhm, me too?" Naya decided to agree although the tone of her voice and her eyes were conveying a different message.

"We should get back to sleep."

"Yeah. You're right, I'll just… go to the bathroom."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Uhm, goodnight. Again." Naya headed for the door.

"Goodnight." Heather said, tucking herself back underneath the comforter and making sure to stay as farthest as she could from Naya's side of the bed.

Most. Awkward. Conversation. Ever.

As soon as Naya had locked herself inside the master bathroom, she let out the deep breath she didn't realize she had been holding. That was just…

_Wow._

The brunette stood facing the large mirror, staring at the flustered reflection of herself. While she enjoyed kissing Heather, she was now worried as to how Heather felt. She knew it was her fault, and she shouldn't have initiated it.

Still, she wasn't regretting it.

She lifted a hand and ran her fingers on her swollen lips. A bashful smiled played on her lips as memories of the kiss came back to her.

_Again, wow._

It was after thirty minutes that she found the courage to go back to her bedroom and found Heather sleeping on her side, in her preferred side of the bed, facing away from her. It seemed that she was already sleeping and Naya was thankful for that. Strangely, it didn't take long for her to drift into peaceful slumber herself.

The following morning, Naya woke up to the warm breathing on her neck that sent tingles on every part of her. She also realized that the reason why she felt like she was being squeezed to death was because of the strong arm that was draped tightly on top of her stomach. Her back was pressed firmly against Heather's front, and she could feel the heat emanating from her wife's body.

It seemed that the two of them found their way to each other sometime the previous night as they both abandoned their positions in their respective sides.

Naya couldn't help but smile again.

The first rays of the morning sun were starting to creep in through her large window and Naya would have loved to stay in Heather's arms longer. But after what happened last night and hearing the movements downstairs (she was sure that her grandmother was already awake), she knew it was better if she let the blonde wake up alone. Sighing after coming to a resolution, she made a move to get up but stopped as her eyes caught a sight of her iPhone resting on top of the bedside table.

Grinning, she reached for it and flicked the camera button. She lifted it up, focused the camera in between her and Heather, and took a picture as she pretended to be still sleeping as well. She tried to suppress the giggle and checked the photo on her folder.

Kevin wasn't lying when he said they were so adorable together.

Reluctantly, Naya pried herself away from Heather's grasp, making sure not to wake her up. Before completely leaving her bedroom, she leaned over the blonde and gave her a peck on the side of her forehead. She caught a whiff of Heather's shampoo.

_Hmm, lavender._

Naya concluded with a smile.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Heather smelled something delicious cooking in the kitchen as she descended the stairs after she woke up. She doubled her steps, curious, and found her in-laws already at the table while Naya looked like she was cooking.

Her eyebrows knitted in confusion. She had never seen Naya cook before.

When her wife turned, that's when the writer noticed Naya wearing an apron. She looked totally cute as she walked towards the table with a plate on each of her hands. Heather stood at a distance, amused.

"So, it seems the Queen of this household finally decided to join us." Grandma's teasing voice tore Heather's eyes away from Naya.

All eyes turned towards her, so she took the last steps and joined everybody in the dining table. She sat opposite Yolanda.

"Good morning." Heather smiled at her in-laws before turning her head to Naya, who was standing beside her. "Good morning, babe." A mouth-watering plate of something was then placed in front of her and a kiss was dropped on top of her head.

"I was wondering what time you'd be waking up." Naya untied her apron, took it off and tossed it somewhere, not caring where it landed. That earned her a castigating look from her mom, but she didn't really care. She pulled the chair next to her wife and pushed the cup of coffee near Heather. "I missed you already." She smiled at the blonde.

Heather was flattered at the attention, but after last night, she felt a little bit uneasy with their 'couple interaction'. She tried her best not to let it show though, not wanting to disappoint the in-laws.

"So, what's this?" Heather picked up her fork and pointed to the plate in front of her.

"It's called Tortilla de Huevos. Try it, come on." Naya encouraged, looking eager.

Heather did. As soon as the food reached her mouth, a satisfied hum came out of her lips.

"Good, right?" Naya grinned.

"Did you make it?"

"Of course. I learned from mom."

"Really?" Heather arched an eyebrow. "Why haven't you cooked me this before?" She looked expectantly at her wife. All this time, Naya knew how to cook. And she didn't just know how to, she was extremely good at it if this tortilla something was any proof. Needless to say, she was curious as to why Naya let both of them suffer with Heather's cooking if she could actually cook.

"I wanted to surprise you." The brunette replied casually before diving in to her own plate of breakfast.

Heather stared at Naya in disbelief. The actress could feel the stare on the side of her head but she just smiled knowingly.

"Mom, about your question before my wife decided to show up, I'm not sure when Heather and I would be able to visit and sleep over. I'll try to find time when we're both available. She haven't really bonded that much with my siblings since they only met at the wedding, but I'm sure she'd love to spend time with them, right babe?"

"What? Oh, yes of course."

"I'll just call Nickayla and Mychal so I could fit our schedules with theirs."

"Try to do that sooner. Your father is excited to get the whole family together, especially now that our family's getting bigger." Yolanda threw a smile at Heather.

Heather smiled back, but she wondered as to the status of Naya's relationship with her father. After that temporary truce at the wedding, she hadn't really asked and blamed herself for it. When her eyes met Naya's, it seemed that the brunette understood.

"I've been trying to fix things with my dad." Naya said.

It was weird that Naya was able to read her.

"We're making progress, especially that last time I picked you up from Valencia." Naya smiled at Heather. She never told the blonde, but she had been exchanging calls with her dad after the wedding.

"Wow, that's good." Heather was genuinely pleased that the brunette took her up on her advice.

"Yeah. And it was because of you." Naya said, the sincerity apparent in her eyes.

"I agree." Grandma interjected. "I would propose a toast but it's too early in the morning. You're heaven sent, Heather. If it weren't for you, my grandchild would still be her stubborn self." She narrowed her eyes at Naya who just rolled her eyes.

"Don't ruin my moment, grandma."

"Alright. As much as I'd love to stay and watch you get into each other's nerves, your grandmother and I have to go." Yolanda got up from her chair and Grandma Rivera followed.

"You're leaving?" Heather felt a little sad. While they weren't exactly that forthcoming when the in-laws decided to stay over, she had a lot of fun with them around.

"Honey, this wouldn't be the last time that we're coming over so don't miss us too much." Yolanda walked around the table and hugged Heather and Naya. Grandma Rivera followed.

"Don't encourage them, sweetheart." Naya joked.

Heather blushed at the new term of endearment.

The couple followed mom and grandma to the door and outside. Naya reached for Heather's hand and interlocked their fingers once again. The family car was already outside with the driver waiting.

"Don't be a stranger, Naya." Grandma waved at the two of them as she climbed into the BMW after Yolanda.

"I won't." Naya waved back at her grandmother, smiling as she watched the BMW drive away.

As soon as the car was out of their sight, Heather let go of Naya's hand. The brunette frowned as she watched her wife walk wordlessly back into the house, her hand suddenly feeling cold at the lost of contact.

She went after Heather.

"I'd help you move my things back into my room, but I have to go somewhere today. So, can we do the moving tonight?" Heather said as she climbed upstairs with Naya trailing behind her.

"Where are you going?"

"Mark called. He wants to see me today." The writer entered Naya's bedroom, heading for the walk-in closet to find clothes to wear. The call had been a blessing, really. It gave her an excuse to have some time and space away from her wife. The feelings she felt last night only added to the confusion in her mind.

She reminded herself again to keep her distance. That would keep things simple.

"Why? What does he want now?" Naya growled.

"I don't know. I hope I'm not getting fired." Now that the blonde thought about it, Mark did not really say the reason why they had to meet. She worried that he didn't like the draft of the manuscript with the ideas they brainstormed during their last meeting. What if he really was firing her?

"Probably. You sucked at writing." Naya rolled her eyes. She was feeling all cheerful that morning and Mark just had to ruin her mood.

"Shut up." Heather pulled one of her pants and lifted it. She didn't like it so she put it back. Next, she pulled out a skirt. When she lifted it up for inspection, it was snatched unceremoniously from her hands.

The writer turned an inquisitive look at Naya with her hands on her hips.

"It's too short." She gruffly said and pulled the pants Heather was previously holding. "Wear this." Naya said, shoving the pants back into Heather's hands.

"What? I don't-"

"We don't want him to think that you're trying to impress him."

"Well, I kind of have to. He's sort of my boss."

"No. I mean, with your clothes. You don't have to impress him with the way you dress. You're married. You can't just do that now."

"I know that. Just to be clear, I'm not going to wear the skirt just to impress him."

"You're still _not_ going to wear that skirt." Naya glowered at the blonde.

"Yes I _am_ wearing this skirt. The weather is nice and it's the most comfortable thing to wear." Heather shoved the pants back into Naya's arms and snatched the skirt back from where it landed.

"So, you're not really trying to impress Mark?"

"No. I'm not trying to impress him because I don't even like him that way." Heather then pulled a yellow top that matched the skirt. Satisfied, she turned to leave the walk-in closet, still with Naya following her.

"You don't?"

"No. I think he's really handsome but no."

"Please, he's not that good-looking. Why don't you tell him you can't make it? It's really hot outside these days."

"I can't I have to meet him."

"No, you don't. Tell him you're busy."

"But I'm not."

"Just do it."

"Why would I?"

Naya couldn't find a reason, really.

"What time will you be back?"

"I'm not sure." Heather checked the time on Naya's digital clock resting on her bedside table. It was 10:00 a.m. "We'll probably have lunch after that."

"What? Why would you have lunch with him?"

"Why else? Because I'll be hungry."

"What about me?"

"Do I have to do everything for you? Are you invalid or just plain lazy? And yeah, about that. Why didn't you tell me that you can cook like a chef? You made me suffer cooking all the time."

"I'm not going to eat until you're here. Just come home early, okay?" Naya skirted around the question. She threw herself on the bed.

"What?" Heather stared at her in disbelief.

"I'll be waiting so come home early!"

"Fine. You'll either cook for yourself or you can wait all you want. I'm not going to be the one hungry."

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

As it turned out, Heather wasn't going to get fired.

Mark just needed someone to spend his birthday with. Heather was more than willing to oblige. Time away from Naya was very welcome. Although she didn't really get away that much considering that Mark brought her to watch one of Naya's recent movies that was still being shown in one of the cinemas near Mark's office.

"You really should have told me that it's your birthday. I could have bought you something." Heather said as they walked out of the cinema after finishing the movie.

"It's okay. You're my gift. I feel happy when I'm with you." Mark walked beside her, hands shoved into the pockets of his pants.

Heather was glad she chose to wear the skirt. Had she wore the pants as Naya insisted, she would have felt underdressed beside Mark who seemed to be always wearing expensive suits.

"You mean I'm funny."

"I keep laughing when I'm with you. Heather, I like being with you."

"Oh, I have an idea. I still haven't bought you spaghetti yet and I haven't got you anything, so why don't you let me treat you to that spaghetti place I'd been telling you about?"

"That sounds awesome."

Meanwhile, in a street not too far away where Heather and Mark were, an angry Naya was sitting behind the wheel of her white Range Rover. She almost got caught twice for speeding, but luckily, she got away with it using her charms. The last conversation she had with Heather's friend, Harry Shum, Jr., was still fresh in her mind.

"_I don't even remember giving you my number, Junior." Naya spat as she realized who was calling her. _

"_I got it from Jenna. I just got out of an audition downtown when I-"_

"_Just cut to the chase, will you?" She was annoyed. Harry had never really done anything wrong to her, but since she was already not in the mood when the Asian called, she did not bother to pretend to be nice. _

"_I saw Heather come out of the cinema with a guy. I recognized him from your wedding. I think he's one of your friends."_

_Naya knew actually who Harry was talking about. It was Mark. _

"_Heather's my friend and I don't like that guy. I have a bad feeling about him."_

"_That makes two of us."_

"_Don't think that I'm creepy but I spied on them and I heard Heather talking about a spaghetti place. I think they are about to go there. I just thought you should know. He was turning on the charm with your wife." _

"_Tell me where they are and the address of that spaghetti place you were talking about."_

Luckily, Naya was just about to meet up with Kevin in LA when she got Harry's call.

Mark had just pulled his car out of parking and on their way to Heather's spaghetti place when Mark spoke.

"So, where is this place you keep talking about? Is it famous?" Mark threw a brief glance sideways as he drove.

"Oh, it's not famous. It's just that their spaghetti is cheap and they have big servings." Heather grinned.

"That's the best kind of place."

"So order whatever you want."

"What do you like besides spaghetti?" He asked, eager to get to know the blonde more. They had been meeting twice or thrice a week, but they always talk about Heather's stories. Today was his opportunity to get to know her.

"I eat anything." Heather shrugged.

Before Mark could ask another question, a phone started ringing. That wasn't his ring tone. Heather scrambled to pull her phone from her bag. After looking at the caller ID, she frowned.

"Excuse me." She said to Mark.

He nodded.

"What?" She hissed.

"_Where are you?"_

"I'm with Mark right now."

"_I know that. But what were you doing at a cinema? If you wanted to watch my movie, you could have just asked for my DVD copies. I thought you were just discussing work in his office."_

"We finished early. Why is that any of your business? And how did you know we were watching your movie? Are you here?" Heather looked around for Naya's Range Rover. She couldn't find it.

"_You didn't answer my question. Where are you?"_

"We're going to eat spaghetti."

"_Hemo, do you have to eat spaghetti now? Don't eat. I'll buy you an Italian restaurant!"_

"Why?"

"_What do you mean why? Just leave him!" _

"I don't want to. I've already promised Mark I'd treat him out. It's his birthday today."

"_What? The thing is, well…" _ Naya scrambled to find reasons to convince Heather to go with her instead. Then an idea clicked. _"Grandma is sick. We have to hurry. She said she has to see us."_

"What? She was fine when they left this morning."

"_She's old and it's not her fault if she feels fine one moment and sick the next." _Naya bit her lip. She hoped her grandmother would forgive for using her in her lie.

"Okay, okay. Tell me where you are."

"_I'm parked near the Walt Disney Concert Hall."_

"We're not far away. I'll be there in three minutes." Heather hung up.

"Is everything alright?"

"Naya said Grandma is sick. Oh God. I have to go see her. I'm sorry Mark, but I'm going to have to cancel."

"It's okay. I understand."

"Can you turn right, please? Naya's parked near the Walt Disney Concert Hall."

Mark followed the request. As he turned right, his eyes immediately found Naya's white Range Rover on the side of the street.

"I think that's Naya's car." He pulled his car behind Naya's. Heather jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped. She ran towards the Range Rover and knocked anxiously on the window to the passenger side, startling Naya.

The actress rolled the window down and unlocked the door.

"Grandma isn't seriously sick, is she?" Heather asked.

"We'll have to go and see. Get in, Hemo." Naya replied, her expression turning serious as she saw Mark's figure approaching on her side mirror.

Heather clambered into the passenger seat and quickly pulled her seatbelt on. As Mark came into view at Naya's side, she leaned over, looking apologetically at him.

"I'm really sorry, Mark. Let's do this again next time."

"It's no problem. Send my regards to Maria, will you?" Mark smiled at Heather, before turning to Naya.

Naya barely acknowledged him. She didn't even look at him.

"Catch you later, pal." With that obvious bite in her voice, Naya sped away.

Heather watched Mark on the rear view mirror until she couldn't see him anymore. When she shifted her attention back to Naya, the brunette was livid. When it looked like Naya wasn't going to speak anytime soon, she finally spoke.

"It's Mark's birthday today."

"So?" Naya arched an eyebrow.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why do I have to?" Naya frowned.

"I just thought, since you two are long-time friends, you'd at least greet him a happy birthday. He's alone and he seemed lonely."

"Why are you so worried about him?" The brunette asked, clearly annoyed.

"We should invite him over some time."

"Why?"

"He's my friend and I don't want to see sad people."

"I thought you were just going to talk about business." Naya sounded furious.

"We were. But we were done early so we went to see your movie."

"Uhm, so, how was the movie?"

"It was weird. I didn't understand what was going on. It wasn't good. I don't understand why you agreed to do it." Heather replied honestly.

"What do you know about movies? It was badly edited from the beginning up to the end. I blame the editors. You're one to talk. You can barely write decent synopses." Naya turned defensive.

"That's not the problem now, is it? How's Grandma?"

Naya's eyes widened. She forgot about the lie she made up as soon as Heather got in the car. She had no plans beyond that.

"We'll have to go and find out. Oh, I'm getting a call."

Heather scowled. She didn't even hear it ring.

The actress snatched the head set from the console and tucked it in her ear.

"Hello, Grandma? Oh you're feeling better now?" Naya plastered a wide smile and briefly turned at Heather's direction.

"Was that Grandma? I want to talk to her." Heather attempted to reach for the head set and the iPhone but Naya was fast to get it away from her grasp.

Making sure that Heather wouldn't try to steal her phone again, Naya placed it on her crotch.

"We don't have to come?" Naya's grin became even wider.

Heather thought she looked creepy.

"So we don't have to go then. Okay, grandma. Take care. I love you." Naya 'hung up' before Heather could ask to talk to her grandma again. "She's okay now. She said we don't have to come over."

"I wanted to ask her how she's doing." Heather pouted. "But I'm glad she's okay."

"Yeah, me too." Naya silently thanked her grandmother and tried not to smile too much. Heather might get suspicious. "Shall we go have lunch?"

"What did you say? We still have to go." Heather looked incredulously at Naya.

"No we don't. She said we don't have to." Naya whined.

"What are you talking about? We're going to Valencia." Heather sounded firm and Naya just couldn't protest.

_Oh, fuck._

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

"Grandma? Grandma?"

Maria looked away from the television show she was watching in the living room as she heard that familiar voice that seem to be coming from outside.

"Was that Heather?" Grandmother asked, straining her ears to hear the voice again.

"I think so." Yolanda frowned.

"The kids must be here." George looked up from the newspaper he was reading and adjusted the eyeglasses that was perched on his nose.

The three elder Riveras were relaxing in the living room when the door was thrown open, revealing Heather who was panting from the running she did from where Naya had parked her car up to the house. Behind her was a fretful-looking Naya.

"Grandma, are you alright?" Heather dropped to her knees in front of Maria. She held grandma's hands.

"What do you mean?" Maria looked down at her in confusion.

"You should be resting and not watching TV." The blonde replied.

"What?" Maria was still confused.

The interaction was making Naya feel more nervous. She'd get caught in her lie eventually, so she had to at least try and save herself. Naya then ran to her grandmother's arms, knocking Heather to the floor. She wrapped her grandmother in a really tight embrace.

"Grandma! You're feeling better now! I'm so happy!" Naya was squeezing Maria tight.

George and Yolanda exchanged perplexed looks.

"Mother, were you sick?" George turned curiously at his mother. She usually talks to him if she wasn't feeling good. He was a doctor, after all.

Struggling to breathe as her granddaughter still wasn't letting go of her, she managed to choke out her answer.

"I'm fine. Someone told you I was sick?" Maria tried to push Naya away, but she wasn't letting go.

Naya kept her arms around her grandmother.

"In my dream." Naya tried to put her acting skills to good use. "You appeared last night and you told me you were sick. I was so worried about you. You have to stay healthy, okay?" She pecked her grandmother on the cheek. Then she tightened her hug again.

"Naya, you're suffocating me."

It took George, Yolanda and Heather to pry Naya away from her grandmother.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

It was after dinner when Naya and Heather got back home. She had a clear idea of what just happened but decided not to tell grandma about the obvious lie Naya just involved her in. What annoyed her was Naya wasn't even apologizing or explaining why.

"What's wrong with you? Has the heat gotten to your brain?" Heather scolded her wife as soon as their front door closed.

"No. The dream felt so real when Grandma told me she was sick." Naya was still acting. If Heather didn't know any better she would have believed her.

"You can't tell a dream from reality? Are you stupid?"

"What?"

"And what was the call about? You said it was Grandma."

"A ghost. A ghost must have called. We need an exorcist." Naya held Heather by the shoulders and looked at her straight in the eyes. "Find an exorcist, so we could have an exorcism, okay?" With that, Naya ran straight to her bedroom and locked herself in.

_What the fuck?_

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

**A/N: **Some people are worried that I had stopped writing. I'll reassure you now. I haven't and I won't. I like long, well-rounded chapters, so I tend to take longer than usual in writing. I can also assure you that I'm going to finish this story, as I had this outlined up to the end, with some future scenes written down already. It's just a matter of completing and polishing each chapter.

I hope you liked this latest update and please do review. I'd love to know what you want and I sometimes use your suggestions to improve. Yes, **LaurenKnight13**, I thought your idea was awesome. I know it wasn't the romantic breakfast in bed that you imagined, but I had to write it in that tone to fit the story. Thank you.

SPOILERS! TEASERS!

SPOILERS! TEASERS!

DON'T GO BEYOND THIS POINT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED. ;-)

Okay.

The contract will come up again in the next chapter.

The green-eyed monster continues to rear its ugly head.

Lea Michele's Annual New Year's Eve Ball will be mentioned again, but it still isn't the time to meet Naya's childhood friends.

Also, Andres and Sofia, anyone?

Thank you for reading and reviewing. I'm sorry if I wasn't able to reply to everyone who reviewed in the last chapter. I'll try to make it up to you by updating faster (or not) and making you smile.

It's not the end, it's the journey.


	8. Redraft

**A/N: **The tides are changing. ;-)

**CHAPTER 7**

**REDRAFT**

Six tattoos.

_Six?_

Heather's eyes were fixed on the screen of her laptop as she re-read that part of the article and her eyebrows, puckered at the new information. A while ago, she was browsing the internet to clear her head of the writer's block she found herself in when she 'accidentally' stumbled upon one of Naya's old interviews with FHM.

She totally _wasn't_ looking for Naya's photos online. It was the article that got her interested in.

_Seriously. _

She was too engrossed reading to check out the brunette's photos to notice that she wasn't wearing a bra under that plaid and unbuttoned shirt.

Sure, the brunette looked hot in that shot of her jumping on the bed, but she totally _wasn't_ checking the outline of her defined abs on her tank top.

She totally did_ not_ drool on the sight of Naya's exposed legs on that shot where she was bent down wearing an Auburn jersey and Nike shoes.

_Definitely not. _

She _didn't_ even look long enough to notice Naya's glorious boobs that seemed to be jumping out of her screen.

"Six?" She repeated to herself, mentally counting. Her head snapped to the direction of the stairs when she heard footsteps coming down.

Naya had a late night reunion with some of her friends Telly, Darren, Vanessa, Chris, Meg, Cory and Mark (yes, _that_ Mark) and had just woken up, it seemed. She marched into the dining room looking like a totally different person than in those pictures that Heather _wasn't _looking at a while ago. The actress was wearing a blue spaceship designed onesie and her dorky eyeglasses; her long hair tied into a messy pony tail. She looked so cute that Heather just could not repress the adoring smile that formed on her face.

She grumbled a good morning to Heather, who just returned the greeting with a nod.

Her eyes followed Naya's movements as she snatched her favorite mug, heading for the coffee maker. As the brunette poured herself a cup, the right sleeve of her onesie bunched up, revealing one of the six tattoos she was wondering about just moments ago. She began counting again.

The first one that the blonde remembered seeing was that one on tanned wrist. If she wasn't mistaken, it was supposed to mean 'love' in Hebrew.

Naya had her back turned on Heather as she was adding some sugar cubes and cream on her coffee. Blue eyes settled on tanned neck, relishing the memory of how the skin in there felt so smooth against her palm as she held on to her that night.

Heather cleared her throat.

There it was, the second tattoo; the inked ribbon.

And then third, of course, there was that huge cross on her back.

Her eyes followed Naya again as the brunette walked towards the fridge, opening it to search for something to eat for brunch. It was almost noon anyway. Heather remembered seeing one tattoo on Naya's ankle, and there was that sort of flag on her other foot. Her eyes drifted downwards, as if trying to confirm the fourth and fifth tattoo.

So where's the sixth?

Her eyes lingered on Naya's bare feet before it went up again, stopping at Naya's butt cheeks.

Heather swallowed the lump in her throat that formed out of nowhere.

Then her eyes slowly trailed higher again.

When Naya found something that she wanted, she closed the fridge and walked back to pick up her coffee. Now with food and drink on her hands, Naya took the final steps to join her wife in the dining table when she stopped on her tracks.

Naya arched an eyebrow.

"Are you staring at my boobs?"

Blue eyes snapped back up to meet brown ones. Naya didn't look angry or offended. She just looked like she was about to laugh. Heather felt her ears burning.

"What? No." She squeaked; head shaking frantically for emphasis. Of course she was staring, but couldn't believe herself for being caught.

Hey, she was just curious about the sixth tattoo. Can anyone blame her? Surely, she wasn't the only one wondering. To make herself feel better, she silently convinced herself that she should know that anyway. Just in case, you know, anyone asked. She was the wife. She was supposed to know. But she couldn't just bear to throw the question out there.

"Uh-huh." A sly grin formed on the brunette's face. "You were totally looking." Naya pulled the chair opposite Heather. As she sat down, she playfully kicked her wife on the shins, under the table.

"I wasn't." Heather kicked back before turning her eyes back to her laptop, mentally smacking herself. Maybe if she didn't let herself think of those boobs pressed against her own that night they made out, her eyes wouldn't have lingered longer and she wouldn't have gotten caught.

She was supposed to bury that night in the past but Naya wasn't really helping that much when she's being this cute, or when she's being sexy, or-

_Stop it!_

Heather shook the cloud out of her head, feeling flustered. She already liked Naya more than she should although she was doing a great job hiding it. Naya's ego was big enough as it is. She had to remind herself again.

_No emotional entanglements, no painful goodbyes. _

That's the last thing she needed in the last few months left in their contract.

The two settled in comfortable silence.

On the other side of the table, the actress had been intently watching her wife as she ate; the smile never leaving her face.

Heather looked so cute pretending to be in deep concentration.

Naya had a reminiscing of her own as she let her mind drift back to their kiss; that fairytale kiss that she thought only existed in children's books. She wondered if the blonde felt it too. She'd been meaning to ask, but wasn't really sure how to start or what she was going to say.

It was all backwards and jumbled in her head that Naya felt a headache coming already.

And then there was Mark who had been calling her wife to his office for 'work' more often lately. Needless to say, the brunette wasn't thrilled at all. The smile on Naya's face was replaced by a scowl. She did hang out with him last night but she barely talked to him. She did remember one of the few things she said, though.

"I invited Mark to dinner tonight. Get ready." Naya said, her face turning serious and her tone a little heavier than it was a few minutes ago.

Heather looked up from her laptop in surprise.

"Why?" The blonde looked puzzled. The last time she brought up Mark, it was obvious that her wife wasn't that keen on talking about him, much less on spending time with him. Well, after that failed proposal to Dianna that got Naya coming home crying, she wasn't really expecting the brunette to immediately warm up to Mark. But they were friends. Or used to be.

Naya contemplated for a short moment before answering. The truth would be that to show Mark to whom Heather belonged. But that sounded too possessive and Naya knew Hemo would hate to be treated like property, so she didn't say that out loud. Besides, Heather wasn't really _hers._ Mark should know his place, though. He hadn't done anything inappropriate yet, but it was obvious that he liked the blonde. If Heather wasn't married, Naya was sure he would have made a move on her already.

The thought made Naya feel a bit queasy.

"You're the one who wanted him over, so I invited him." Naya casually replied, successfully masking her spite for her 'friend'.

"You could have at least informed me ahead of time." Heather panicked as she began searching for recipes on the internet.

Naya rolled her eyes.

"I only talked to him last night. And what's the fret about?"

"What am I going to prepare for dinner? You didn't give me enough time to practice recipes. In case you didn't notice-"

"I'm cooking. But now that I think about it, I think it's a great idea to let you cook. Maybe that would turn him off." Naya said.

"What?"

"Nothing. We're going grocery shopping."

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Naya went to meet Kevin first at Wilshire before heading to the Pavilions in Beverly Hills with Heather to buy everything that they'd need for tonight's dinner. Heather was walking in the produce section, a list on her hand, while Naya trailed behind her with their half-filled cart of groceries.

When Naya returned the parsley leaves that Heather put in their cart, the blonde turned with a quizzical look.

"What?" Naya asked.

"It was on the list. You're the one who wrote it. Unless I read it wrong because your handwriting is horrendous."

Naya frowned.

"Who speaks like that?"

"Well, you wrote 'parsley leaves' here. So why did you put it back?"

The actress rolled her eyes. She left their cart and walked towards Heather, totally invading the blonde's personal space as she leaned in, too close for Heather's liking, only to point something on the list that was still on the writer's hand.

"Key word: fresh."

"I'm clearly not good with this and this isn't my thing, so why don't you do it?" Heather shoved the list to Naya's hands before stepping back; finally able to breathe now that she didn't have the brunette's dark locks tickling the side of her face.

"Gladly."

Heather had no idea what her wife was planning for dinner, but it seemed interesting. She watched as Naya stopped for strawberries a few feet away with her elbows on top of the cart handle and her face propped up on her hands. Naya seemed absorbed with inspecting each and every type of produce that they needed. Everytime the brunette found something slightly wrong with the product, she'd put it back.

Her lips formed into a warm smile. Who would have thought that Naya could be so domesticated? She was sure that only a few people had seen this side of Naya before.

Heather's eyebrow formed into a crease when she realized that she wasn't the only one witnessing this side of Naya anymore. A tall, skinny, probably a model woman was standing next to her wife. It seemed that they were talking and blue eyes narrowed as Naya laughed at what the other woman said. She couldn't hear what they were discussing about, but her wife was holding a strawberry in each of her hands as if she was explaining something. Model woman was listening intently, and _too _closely, Heather was sure she wasn't even really listening.

Naya was actually explaining to the other woman the recipe that she would be following for tonight's dinner. The stranger seemed nice, and she was feeling a bit chipper herself, so she gave her tips on how to make Stuff Roasted Strawberries. Just as she finished with the recipe, she felt the burning glare on the side of her head that caused her to turn.

Wifey wasn't looking too happy.

Clearing her throat, Naya turned to the woman and excused herself. She seemed disappointed but the actress couldn't really care less. With a bag full of strawberries, she walked back to where Heather was, and placed the bag on their cart.

Heather was still glaring.

"What?" Naya asked innocently.

Heather rolled her eyes before she started pushing the cart again. Away from skinny tall woman who was still staring at Naya.

"I'm just being polite." The brunette followed.

"Sure." The blonde mumbled.

"I just answered her questions."

"What did she ask you, your number?"

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're jealous." Naya chuckled, poking Heather on the waist. When Heather turned her head with a warning look, the actress refrained from teasing her.

"I'm not."

"It's not my fault that your wife is too hot to resist, babe." Naya winked at her playfully.

"I just don't want people to think that you're going back to your old ways. We've worked so hard on building your new image and I don't want to put it to waste."

"I will never go back to my old ways." Naya sounded genuine. If someone told her before that she'd be saying that, she would have laughed. But since Heather came into her life, she slowly forgot everything that was her former lifestyle.

Heather continued pushing the cart without bothering to respond.

Naya grabbed her by the arm and forced the blonde to stop. With a sigh, Heather spun around to face Naya.

"See this ring?" The actress lifted her left hand that had her wedding ring. "It has an inscription inside. It says 'Heather Elizabeth'. Not 'random beautiful swimsuit model girl'." She tried to joke, but the writer did not find it funny as she remained looking back with that unreadable expression.

When Heather did not reply, Naya continued.

"Okay, that wasn't the correct thing to say."

"She was flirting with you."

"Really? I didn't even notice."

"Anyone who has eyes would."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"I'm not even interested in her like that. So, don't be jealous now, okay?"

"I'm really _not_ jealous. I'm just doing my part."

"Part?" Naya asked curiously.

"Of the contract." Heather made sure to lower her voice so that no one would hear. "We agreed to help each other out. Have you forgotten?"

The sudden tension was undeniable.

Naya's jaw clenched before she managed to get an answer out.

"I haven't."

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Naya was busy mincing some rosemary leaf and parsley leaves in the kitchen island while Heather sat watching at the dining table, unconsciously staring at the brunette who was moving expertly around their kitchen.

For the nth time that day, Heather's mind drifted back to their kiss. It was amazing. No type of self-control would have stopped her from kissing Naya that night. She remembered every breath, every swipe of tongue, every touch; the touches that sent shivers through her spine. Just thinking about it gave her goosebumps.

And that scared her.

She could think of so many reasons why she shouldn't let her attraction for Naya get any deeper; their contract, first and foremost. When she signed that contract, it was to get the house back, nothing else. The last thing she needed was an affair that would complicate everything else. Besides, the marriage was about to end in a few months anyway.

She still believed that she was only getting carried away by the whole marriage thing.

"Hey, why don't you make yourself useful?"

Naya's soft voice broke her reverie. Heather looked up, and was met by the brunette's dimpled smile. The tension was gone. Good. The blonde got up from her seat and joined her wife at the island. She sat on the stool opposite her.

"Okay. What do you want me to do?" Heather smiled back.

"I need these green onions finely chopped."

"I can do that." The blonde gathered the onions in front of her.

"I hope so." Naya joked.

"Hey!" Heather grabbed a small, uncut lemon and threw it at Naya's direction. The actress was hit on the chest and she just laughed.

"Just kidding." Naya was still laughing that infectious laugh of hers.

"So, what is this for?" Heather picked up a knife and proceeded to chop the onions.

"Potato gratins."

"And that?" The writer pointed to the greens Naya was mincing.

"Baked shrimp scampi."

"Hmm, sounds fancy."

"That's because _it is_ fancy."

They fell into a comfortable silence.

"So, we have this annual thing…" Naya spoke again, her eyes still focused on what she was doing.

"Thing?"

"A new year's eve party with my siblings and our childhood friends at the family ranch, in Valencia… Uhm… I was wondering if- would you like to come with me, or-?"

"Are you inviting me to go with you?"

"Well, we are married and it would be weird if I'd left you alone on our first New Year's eve together. Besides, I don't really want to go if you don't want to go." Naya sounded uncharacteristically shy. She didn't even try to look up and see the blonde's reaction.

Heather smiled.

"I'd love to."

Naya smiled, still feeling the blonde's eyes on her.

"Hey." Heather called.

"What?" Naya tried to hide the smile on her lips.

"I like this side you."

The actress did not say anything back. She had no idea what to say. She wasn't even sure what 'side' Heather was talking about, but her words brought out a bashful smile on her face. And that rarely happens.

Heather then found herself thinking of other things that she liked about Naya.

Naya loved to read but her vision wasn't perfect anymore and she had to wear those contacts all the time. But at home, she preferred wearing those black rimmed eyeglasses of hers that made her look like a certified dork. That's how she imagined Naya, had her wife continued with her medical education.

She liked the dorky look.

She'd bet everybody thought Naya always wore a sexy nightgown in bed. Truth is, Naya loved her pajama shorts and her big shirts. And then there's that onesie with spaceships from Kevin that she liked to wear.

Heather liked the toddler look. It was endearing.

When Naya's dreaming in her sleep, she'd scrunch her nose. Okay, so Heather had only slept with Naya once in the wholesome kind of way. But that's what she had observed as she opened her eyes to an already sleeping Naya after she pretended to be asleep. The spooning thing _might_ have been intentional on the blonde's part.

Shortly stated, she liked the cute way that Naya slept.

And then there's that beautiful, dark, long hair that smelled like heaven. Heather could only sigh.

Naya's dimpled smile.

Her raspy voice that seemed to seduce Heather everytime.

Her expressive brown eyes.

Naya's wonderful laugh.

Even the scowl was something that Heather was getting used to.

And of course, there are those-

"Oww!" Heather suddenly released the knife as she felt the sting on her other hand. Before she could even look at what happened, Naya was already on her side, wrapping a tissue around her left index finger that she accidentally slashed while she had been daydreaming.

"Come here. Let's get it cleaned up. I don't want it to get infected." Naya pulled Heather to the sink while she kept holding her hand.

"Whatever you say, doctor."

Somehow, that made Naya blush.

"What were you thinking, Hemo?"

"Nothing, I swear." Heather could already feel herself blushing as she replied, sounding defensive. Fortunately, the brunette did not seem to notice as she was too busy examining Heather's injury.

Naya peeled the tissue that she wrapped around the gash. She inspected Heather's wound for a few seconds before pulling it under the sink. She washed the wound with soap and after rinsing, Naya led Heather to the living room, sat her on the couch and told her to stay put. The blonde watched in curiosity as her wife ran upstairs to her bedroom and when she got back, she had some bandages and alcohol with her.

"We only have alcohol. This is going to burn a bit." The actress carefully placed her wife's injured hand on her lap.

"Just do it." Heather closed her eyes. When she felt the sting of the alcohol on her skin, she let out a hiss.

Naya winced at seeing Heather's reaction. When the alcohol dried, Naya lightly wrapped some bandages around Heather's cut. Making sure that it was secure enough not to fall off, she set her sight back up to the blonde's face. She looked absolutely worried.

"Try to be careful next time, okay?"

"I was careful."

"If this is you being careful then I don't want you to cook anymore."

"But I-"

"Don't argue with me."

Naya didn't sound bossy. She just sounded worried and concerned. Thankfully, there wasn't any serious damage on Heather's hand, but she still felt guilty even if it wasn't really her fault. She unconsciously caressed the side of Heather's injured finger and before she could stop herself, she had already lifted the blonde's hand and placed a gentle kiss on top of her bandaged wound.

Heather totally blushed.

So did Naya.

When Naya looked up and found Heather staring, she couldn't seem to turn away. She didn't even realize how close their faces were until now; too close that she could hear the blonde's breathing. But true to Naya's nature, she immediately averted her eyes, although she realized it would have been safer if she hadn't as she found herself staring at Heather's slightly parted lips instead.

"I've got to, uh…" Naya failed at sentences, her eyes still fixed on Heather's lips.

"What?" Heather breathed out.

"I… uhm… kitchen." It took a lot of energy for a stuttering Naya to pull herself away from Heather and from the couch. She walked back to the kitchen area and washed her hands so she could continue with her dinner preparations while Heather stayed in the living room, watching.

As soon as she was far from Heather and wasn't touching the blonde's hand, Naya let out the deep breath she didn't realize she had been holding. They never had a real conversation about the make-out session they had and now she was thinking of kissing her wife again. Heather was fast to use the red wine as an excuse for making out with her, but now, they were both sober and Naya was sure that if she didn't pull herself away from the writer for another second, she wouldn't have been able to stop herself from stealing a kiss from her again.

What would have been their excuse this time?

Naya was brought out of her trance when she heard her phone ringing with Dianna's ring tone. Her friend was still in Canada with Britt. Britt was filming a TV movie and Dianna tagged along for a breath of fresh air. She picked up her iPhone from the far end of the kitchen island and answered with a big smile.

"Hey, baby girl…"

Heather heard Naya as the brunette answered her phone, and she knew exactly who she was talking to.

See, _that's_ another reason why she was keeping distance.

Not only was Naya a heartbreaker before she married Heather. She was also heartbroken over her bestfriend, Dianna. Naya wanted to marry Dianna. She cried because of her and for god's sake, Heather was there to witness that and it wasn't too long ago. Thinking about the blonde designer always made Heather feel like an outsider, regardless of Dianna's feelings for Mark.

This situation was all fucked-up. And Heather felt caught in the middle of it.

_Better not get tangled with emotional attachments if you didn't want to get hurt._

With a sigh, Heather got up from the couch and headed to her bedroom upstairs to change. It was getting late and Mark would be arriving any moment.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Heather and Naya were setting the table when the brunette came up with one stupid idea: for Heather to pretend like she was going to vomit when she kicks her on the foot after dinner.

The blonde wasn't sure whether to laugh or be mad. Naya inviting Mark to dinner at their house was suspicious enough already.

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Stop asking questions and do as I say."

"That's just so… wrong. I don't see the purpose and Mark would probably think I'm pregnant." Heather frowned at the strange proposition.

"Good. That's what I want."

"Why?" The blonde arched an eyebrow.

"Just to remind him that you're married. TO ME." The brunette emphasized by pointing her two index fingers to herself.

"And you're telling me I'm the jealous one." Heather just had to roll her eyes at that.

"I'm just trying to protect our pretend-marriage here. Mark seemed so intent on trying to win you and I can't let that happen." Naya looked serious but her eyes shone with mischief.

"You're being paranoid." Heather walked away from the table as soon as she was done. Her wife was starting to annoy her and she didn't want her mood to be ruined.

"And you're so dense." The brunette followed Heather to the living room.

"I don't want to lie to him." Heather slouched on the couch, looking up to Naya who stood opposite her.

"You're not going to lie. You'll just act like you're going to puke. I mean, you were so good at that when we first met on the plane." Naya cringed at the reminder of her first encounter with the blonde.

"You're not going to stop pestering me 'til I say yes, are you?" Blue eyes narrowed at the brunette.

"Uh-huh."

"You're a pain in the ass."

"We could go all day doing this, you know." Naya crossed her arms.

"You can't possibly be _that_ good to knock me up."

"Oh, I AM good. Wanna see how good?" The actress grinned, wiggling her eyebrows at the blonde.

"Ugh, you're disgusting." Heather pretended to gag.

"We'll just let him assume anything that he wants. But if he asks, we'll tell him that we've been trying IVF." The brunette spoke as if it's the simplest thing in the world.

"I don't want to." Heather was unyielding.

"I'll say it then."

"I don't really want to be on the news again."

"You won't. It's just for Mark."

"No. I don't want to do it." Heather got up from the couch with a plan to escape to the pool area and when Naya attempted to follow, she turned with a warning glare. "Don't even think about it."

Naya sighed as she watched Heather exiting the sliding door.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Dinner with Mark Salling was weird.

Naya acting like she wasn't herself was weirder.

"We just got married so my wife can't do much." Naya said, smiling too sweetly. The brunette had never been the chatty type and tonight she had been the one leading the conversation. Also, she was acting as if she actually didn't hate Mark.

"Everything is good. Don't worry about it." Mark smiled back.

All of them got up from the dining table after they finished dinner.

"Naya prepared everything. I didn't do anything at all." Heather smiled.

"Honey, you're being modest."

Naya turned her attention back to Mark. The businessman had been gracious the whole evening but the tension was obvious with the way he avoided staring too long at the couple in front of him.

"My wife has improved a lot already. Right, honey?" Naya wrapped an arm around Heather's waist and pulled her closer. They were walking to the living room to enjoy more conversation over some red wine.

The term of endearment and the sweetness coating it made the blonde blush, but she was apprehensive as to the motives, at the same time.

"The house has a different feel inside than what it looks outside." Mark said. Before Heather could answer (she was barely able to talk the whole evening because of Naya who kept answering every question for her), Naya beat her to it.

"It does, doesn't it? My father-in-law designed and built this house. My wife has so many memories here. This is where she grew up, did you know that? Ah, a very special place for both of us now and our future children. We even had the baby room set up already."

Heather's eyes almost bulged out of its sockets. She threw a questioning look at her wife that went unanswered.

"We plan to have a lot of babies. Two boys and two girls." Naya grinned. More because of the images of twins Andres and Sofia playing in her head.

Mark was walking ahead of them, his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants. His eyes were drawn to something that was on the living room wall: Naya and Heather's huge wedding photo.

Heather elbowed Naya on the side that got the brunette silently wincing in pain.

"What's up with you? You're so childish." The blonde whispered.

"Why am I childish?" Naya whispered back.

"Why do you keep calling me 'honey'?"

"Would you have preferred 'baby' or 'sweetheart'? You know, we never really discussed the terms of endearment, darling." Naya grinned at her.

"You're giving me goosebumps."

"The good kind, I hope." Then the brunette winked at her wife before leaving her behind as she walked towards Mark who was now standing in front of their wedding photo. Heather was left staring at Naya, open-mouthed.

"That's our wedding picture. Isn't it nice?" Naya tried not to sound too smug.

"Yes, it is. You look great together." Mark replied, sounding sincere with the compliment.

"Her nostrils look huge in that picture." Heather huffed from behind them, her arms crossed.

"What? No they don't." Naya said indignantly, unconsciously touching her nose.

"I think I have to go now." He turned to face the couple. A smiled graced his lips but it did not reach his eyes.

"You're leaving already?" Heather asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Duty calls. I left some unfinished work at the office."

"You're still working at this time of the night?" Heather looked at him in disbelief.

"I tend to stay late most days. Naya can attest to that. There's really nothing else to do at home. It's not like there's anyone waiting for me." He looked despondent as his eyes met Heather's.

Naya grimaced at the interaction between Hemo and Mark. When she cleared her throat, too loudly, I'd have to add, Mark snapped out of his trance and veered his eyes away from the blonde.

"Thanks for inviting me today, Naya." Mark then shifted his gaze to the door. "I'll see you in the office, Heather."

As soon Mark turned his back on the couple to head for the door, Naya kicked Heather's foot, but Hemo wouldn't fake to vomit. The brunette tried again but Heather was resolute not to do what Naya asked her to. Since Heather wouldn't do it, and Mark was already near the front door, Naya improvised. She let out the fake vomiting sounds. When Mark turned back around, a look of concern and curiosity in his expression, Naya immediately pulled Heather into her arms.

"Honey, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"It wasn't- uhmf!" Heather protested but was cut off with a short kiss from Naya.

That caused the blonde to feel a bit lightheaded. When Naya pulled away, Heather found it hard to form any kind of sentence.

"Oh my god." Naya's eyes twinkled, and the reaction confused Heather.

"What?" Heather felt her cheeks blush at the gravelly sound of her voice.

"Babe, are you pregnant?"

"Huh?"

"Maybe that's it! You've been complaining about feeling nauseous in the morning. The IVF worked! Oh my god, this is a great day for us!" The brunette showered her wife with kisses all over her face.

Heather's eyes widened when she was reminded of Naya's earlier scheme, knocking her back to her senses.

"We're going to be parents now! Oh, wow, we'll finally have little Andres and Sofia running around the house! Our family is complete! I want them to have your eyes. Your eyes are so beautiful, sweetheart. I can't wait to be called 'mama'. I'm so excited. Honey, I love you! I love you so much!" Naya hugged Heather so tight, the blonde could barely breathe.

"But-" Heather was totally flustered by all the 'affection' Naya was giving her.

"I'm insanely happy. We should tell Grandma soon. Mark, did you hear that? My wife is pregnant!" Naya beamed with happiness.

"Yes, congratulations." Mark smiled at his friend, looking truly happy for her, but feeling something inside him break. The scene before him was causing him to feel something he thought he'd never feel; a mix of longing, grief, jealousy.

"Thanks." Naya ran a hand over Heather's abs. "It's moving." She leaned, placing a soft kiss for their 'baby', causing the blonde to blush.

"I really should go now. Again, congratulations."

With that, Mark was out of the door. As soon as they heard his car sped away, Heather pulled herself out of Naya's grasp.

"What was that?" The writer crossed her arms, a questioning look focused at brunette.

"What was what?"

"What happened to letting him assume whatever? Mark totally thinks I'm pregnant now! You practically told him that!"

"So? What's wrong with that?" Naya did not bother to hide the triumphant smirk on her face.

"Are you serious?" Blue eyes narrowed dangerously at the indifference her wife was showing.

"I don't understand why you're so mad. So what if Mark thinks you're pregnant? It's just Mark." Naya shrugged.

"Well, for one that's not true because I am not pregnant. I don't really want to give anyone the wrong idea." Heather explained in frustration. It was going to be really hard to explain her belly not getting bigger.

"We're married. People shouldn't have a problem with it if we're pregnant."

"We're married ON paper. In four months, all of this is going to be over."

Naya's forehead creased.

"What?" The brunette did not seem to immediately comprehend what Heather had just said.

"Our contract is expiring in four months, Naya. Or have you forgotten? After that, you'll be free to pursue Dianna and I'm free to do whatever I want. It's none of your business if I wanted to go pursue someone that I like. So, let's not get too comfortable about this whole set-up, okay?" The last part brought a sting into Heather's own heart, but she managed to not let it show.

Naya was at a loss for words. When her eyes tried to find Heather again, she didn't realize she was already in the dining room, cleaning up the table. The brunette followed her.

"I thought you didn't like Mark." Her voice slightly trembled, the part where Heather said 'pursue someone that I like' stuck out to her, completely missing the part where the blonde said something about pursuing Dianna.

"I don't know. Maybe I do like him. And if that's the case, it's not my problem that you still have a sore spot for him because of Dianna." Heather brought the plates to the dishwasher. Of course she didn't like Mark like that and had told Naya about this before. She was just trying to get her point across.

"I didn't even say anything about Di."

"You didn't have to." This time, Heather was picking up the rest of the cutlery while Naya continued staring at her.

The short silence was deafening and all of a sudden awkward.

Something was bugging Naya and she couldn't stop herself from asking.

"Are you, uh, are you giving him a chance? I mean, after we get a divorce." That was the softest her voice had sounded. As much as she wanted to know the answer, Naya was dreading it as well.

She had never been so nervous waiting for an answer to a simple question.

"I'm not closing my doors." Heather answered. After placing the dishes into the dishwasher, she climbed upstairs to change.

Naya was left staring into a space, feeling something twist in her stomach.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Ever since Heather mentioned about their contract ending in the next four months, Naya just couldn't get it out of her head. And that's exactly the reason why she sneaked into Heather's bedroom that morning, looking for the blonde's copy of their contract. The writer was busy writing downstairs so she took the opportunity.

"Where the hell did you hide it, Hemo?" Naya whispered to herself as she tiptoed inside Heather's bedroom. She had already checked the drawers of the blonde's bedside table but she wasn't able to find what she was looking for. The contract wasn't under the bed either. The brunette looked around for a possible hiding place and her eyes fell on the in-wall closet.

_Bingo._

Convinced that she'd find the contract in the closet, the brunette marched to the other side of the room with a purpose. Slowly and carefully so as not to make any sound, she opened the closet door.

She groaned upon seeing tons of clothes.

Naya started with the drawers at the bottom. The first turned out to be the underwear drawer.

Her cheeks turned so red at the sight of the black, lacy lingerie. She was tempted to touch them but she managed to forcibly shut her eyes and slammed the drawer close. She silently hoped it didn't make so much sound.

The second just contained some scarves and she found nothing hidden underneath.

The third just had Heather's socks.

Before she could open the fourth and last drawer, she heard footsteps.

Footsteps that were getting nearer.

_Damn it!_

Naya panicked. Heather was coming upstairs and she had no way out. She thought of the window, but the idea of breaking her feet into three different places wasn't that appealing. And that wasn't going to be easy to explain to Kevin or anyone. Time was ticking and the blonde was sure to enter the room any second now.

Naya had to think fast.

Just as the door to the room opened, the brunette had jumped into the in-wall closet, pulling its door closed behind her, and holding on tightly to the inside handle. She held her breath as the footsteps entered the room.

There wasn't much sound for a moment. Naya strained her ears to figure out whether the blonde was still inside or had already left. Heather was humming, making her smile.

Heather was humming to Train's 'Marry Me'; one of the songs that Darren played during their wedding.

Then there were the footsteps again and brown eyes widened upon realizing where they had stopped.

In front of the in-wall closet.

Naya almost shrieked when she felt the door being pulled open.

On the other side of the closet door, Heather stood in nothing but her underwear and frowned when the door wouldn't budge. The blonde tried opening it again. But unknown to her, as she pulled it open, Naya pulled back, making sure it stayed close.

"What's wrong with this, why isn't it opening?" Heather said to herself, apparently annoyed. She tried to jerk it open again, but it still didn't work.

_Crap, she's so strong._

Naya felt the beads of sweat trickling the side of her forehead. She had never anticipated this game of tug of war with Heather, but she always thought she'd win any game against the blonde. Her assumptions were being proven wrong right at that moment.

When Heather gave the door one forceful yank, Naya was thrown down the wooden floor, causing the blonde to yelp in surprise. She ran back to the bed and snatched the blanket, covering herself.

"Oh my gosh! What were you doing in there!" Heather's hand grasped tightly onto the blanket that was now covering her front.

"Surprise!" Naya was running all possible excuses that she could use as got up on her feet, massaging the part of her arm that hit the floor first.

"Get out of there! Pervert!" The writer threw one of her pillows at Naya's direction.

"Hey!" Naya managed to avoid the first pillow, but not the second that got her square in the face. "Oomph! Hemo, stop that!"

"What are you doing in my room!" Heather ran out of pillows to throw, so she just fixed her wife a glare this time.

"I wasn't trying to get a peek, okay? I was trying to look for the contract."

"What?"

"Let's rewrite our contract." Naya was still wincing from her fall.

"What's your _bright_ idea this time?" Heather narrowed her eyes.

"The first one has too many loopholes. So let's rewrite it with detailed terms, okay?" The brunette stated as a matter of fact.

Heather paused in contemplation for a moment. The first contract only had a few provisions. They were easy to remember, and Naya was right, the terms were too ambiguous. Also, she was thinking of adding some new provisions that should have been in the first contract.

"You have a point." The blonde finally agreed.

"I'll meet you downstairs in ten." Naya grinned.

"You want to rewrite it now?"

"Yeah. Give me your terms and I'll give mine. Just like old times." Naya skipped out of the bedroom, looking too chirpy for Heather's liking.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

"Let's hear your terms first." Naya said.

The two were in the dining room, sitting opposite each other with pieces of papers on their hands. Heather handed the brunette a few pages of hers.

"Hey, how many pages is this?" Naya looked up at the blonde in disbelief. They were like four or five pages.

"I had to be thorough. First, no one can demand physical intimacy. You're getting a bit too handsy these days."

"I have to in front of other people or else they are not going to believe that we're a legit couple. I'm not exactly known to be conservative." That sounded more like a whine than rationalization.

"Second, we have to tell each other where we're going if we're going out."

"Okay."

"Third, specify the time of return and disclose the reason why if we're going to be late."

"You're the one who keeps disappearing without telling me where you're going."

"Fourth, failure to do so would require a fine of a $100."

"$100?" Naya arched an eyebrow.

"You have a problem with that?"

"No, it's fine with me. It's you I'm worried about. Make sure you can pay up." The brunette looked so smug with the grin on her face.

"Fifth, when Heather is busy or tired to do house chores, Naya will do them instead."

"What!" Naya scrambled to read that provision in her copy.

"It's only fair. I mean, you live here too and you're the one who thrashes the house most of the time anyway."

"But I object!"

"Shut up, Naya. Sixth, if we're meeting some potential future girlfriend, or boyfriend or girlfriend on my part, we also have to tell each other. This is not to intrude on our privacy, but just to avoid any mishaps since people think we're married."

"I think it's safer if we _don't_ meet up with prospective girlfriends or _burf-friends_, honey."

"Seventh-"

Naya was already getting impatient with the number of terms Heather had decided to include in their new contract.

"Let's say I heard all of your terms already. Here's mine."

She handed a piece of paper to Heather, whose jaw dropped and eyes bulged in astonishment after reading the single term that Naya had printed in there.

"Three years! Are you out of your mind? That's a long time!" The blonde protested.

"Well, that's my only term, so you have to accept it." Naya leaned back against her chair, waiting for Heather's consent to the new period of their contract.

"My youth will be withered away by then!"

Naya rolled her eyes.

"A bit overdramatic, don't you think?"

"I don't agree with the extension. This is getting ridiculous." Heather tossed her papers onto the table and crossed her arms.

"What would people say if we divorced in a year?"

"I don't care what they say. I can't agree to three years!" The blonde snarled at her infuriating wife.

"Fine. But think about my grandma, and my parents. What do you think they'd feel if we divorced after one year? Grandma would be heartbroken and devastated. What if she gets a heart attack? Would you be responsible for that?" The mischief playing in Naya's eyes totally betrayed the innocent look on her face.

Naya was mentally apologizing for using her grandmother to convince Heather again.

"You're seriously using that card on me?"

"Is it working?" Naya smirked.

"You're evil incarnate."

"I try." The brunette shrugged, the grin still playing on her lips.

Heather sighed. Why did she even agree to rewrite the contract in the first place? She could just back out now and let the original contract stand, but what Naya just said about her family was messing up with her brain.

"Two years." Heather finally relented.

"What? But that's one year less."

"I know my math, okay? Two years or we're not doing this redraft at all." Heather firmly said. The additional period was sure to create problems on her part. It was already hard enough to keep her feelings in check and to keep her distance. But she just couldn't beat the thought of disappointing grandma and Naya's parents.

_Damn you, Naya._

"Fine." Naya grumbled.

After finalizing the redraft of their contract, Naya and Heather signed both their copies. The blonde went up to her room to hide her copy, while Naya remained in the dining room, grinning stupidly at her own copy in her hands. When she was sure Heather wasn't coming down anytime soon, she got up from her chair.

She totally did the 'Naya Dance'.

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**A/N: **I want to say thank you for your amazing reviews of the previous chapter. I'm sorry I couldn't reply to everyone of you.

I'm supposed to skip to the New Year episode with Naya's childhood friends, but would anyone be interested to read HeYa's Christmas with the Rivera family? It's going to be a filler chapter though, since it wasn't in my original outline. I know you loved grandma too much. But I'd love to know from you guys.

'Til next!


	9. Pretensions, Temptations

**AN: **I wanted to please both sides. So, this is the Christmas chapter, but I revised the rest of my outline to not make this the filler chapter that I originally planned. There's some progress, so I hope everybody of you will enjoy it. Sorry I took two weeks to update. Work and stuff got in the way.

Happy birthday to you, **BrittanaTeam**!

**CHAPTER 8**

**PRETENSIONS, TEMPTATIONS**

**The First Morris-Rivera Christmas**

Naya and Heather were used to how grandma got excited everytime they drop by to visit. Maria loved seeing them. But today was different. Today was the day before Christmas and grandma was acting _too_ excited.

Like over-the-top excited.

As in screaming-at-the-top-of-her-lungs excited.

As soon as the Morris-Rivera couple got out of Naya's Range Rover, they found themselves in a chokehold; grandma's version of a 'hug'. Naya took note not to mess with her grandma ever again because the old woman could probably win WWF and make John Cena cry in shame.

The 'hug' was fine. Naya would have allowed her grandmother squeeze the life out of her, but it wasn't really the tight embrace that was knocking the air out of her chest. Hers and Heather's face were squished so closely together, she felt she couldn't breathe. Naya's face felt warm due to the skin-to-skin contact (no matter how wholesome); she felt embarrassed just thinking about it. Thank god, the blonde did not have the space to turn her head and see how red Naya's face was.

That was probably the reason why Mychal and Nickie were laughing their ass off as they stood by the front door, watching them. The brunette tried glaring at them but that didn't really scare them the way she wanted; that just caused them to laugh even more.

Naya rolled her eyes. Mychal just waved with that stupid grin on his face. Nickie stood amused.

"Grandma…" The brunette called to her grandmother. Rather, that sounded more like a plea.

"You children must start living here. I have to see you everyday. I missed you too much!" Grandma reluctantly loosened her hold on Heather and Naya, to both of their relief.

"Grandma, we've talked about this before." Naya whined. While she loved her family with all her heart, the thought of moving back home was mortifying for her. Not only would she have to see her grandmother 24/7 (she could only take so much), she would also have to act couply with Heather 24/7.

Now, don't get me wrong. Naya loved spending time with Heather (that was obvious). The blonde didn't know this, but Naya actually tried to get off guest appearances that would require her to be away from home longer than 24 hours for the simple reason that she'd miss the blonde writer. This, of course, raised eyebrows; Kevin's and Amber's. But as soon as she gave them her one, true, honest reason (meaning, her wife Heather), they stopped asking questions.

But the lines were already blurred enough as it was.

"You, my grandchild, is always too busy for your own good. Your wife needs someone to watch over her when you aren't around." Grandma chastised Naya as she led them into the house.

"I think I can take care of myself, grandma. No need to worry about me." Heather smiled at Maria as they followed her into the house.

"Hi, Heather! It's nice to see you again." Nickayla smiled at her sister-in-law as the three reached the door where she and her brother Mychal had been waiting.

Naya let go of her wife's hand so she could walk into her sister's open arms. She couldn't help but smile contentedly at Heather's interaction with her siblings. The fact that they got along so well made her heart flutter.

"You too, Nickie." Heather returned Nickie's smile. As soon as she pulled back from the youngest Rivera's embrace, she had no time to prepare herself for Mychal's bear hug.

Naya giggled at this.

"Owww, Mychal, you're crushing me." Heather said in fake protest. She would have been believable if she wasn't laughing.

"We've been waiting for you guys for hours." Mychal finally let go of the blonde and turned to hug his sister, who gladly jumped into his arms.

"I told you what time we were coming." Naya replied.

"Yeah, but we couldn't wait to see you." Mychal grinned.

The five of them reached the living room and found Naya's parents sitting on the couch, beaming at them and looking as exhilarated as grandma was just a while ago. They were elated to see them arrive, but it seemed that it was really just Heather they were wound up to see as Yolanda made a beeline towards the blonde, completely forgetting who her real daughter was.

Something felt wrong.

"What's will all the excitement? It's just us." Naya quirked an eyebrow at her brother.

"You seriously have to ask?" Mychal was amused.

Naya felt the weight around her shoulders as Nickie wrapped her arm around her.

"Congratulations, sis. I'm a bit pissed that you didn't tell me, but considering that you've never told anyone in the family yet, I'm letting you off the hook, but only this time. When the second one arrives, I get to know first." Nickie playfully warned the brunette. She pulled her arm back from her sister and joined her parents with that knowing smile on her face.

Naya and Heather looked more confused than ever.

"What is my granddaughter feeding you? You're too skinny." Grandma stepped back, looking over Heather's frame.

Heather stood uncomfortable under Maria's gaze. She couldn't be more thankful that Naya was there, holding her hand. The actress gave her a reassuring squeeze, which she returned.

"Heather, honey, if you have any cravings, don't hesitate to tell me." Dr. Rivera piped in, giving the blonde that concerned, fatherly look.

"Cravings?" The blonde looked puzzled, prompting her father-in-law to continue.

"I'll make sure that Naya gets you everything that you want. This wife of yours gave me a hard time when she was still in her mother's womb. Looking back, now I'm sure she gave me the hardest time." Dr. Rivera said, playfully glaring at his eldest child.

Naya's eyes bulged out.

"Oh." That was the only word that came out of Heather's mouth after realizing what all the excitement was about. She let out a nervous laugh before turning her head to Naya, who now stood frozen beside her.

Naya's surprise, on the other hand, turned into annoyance as realization hit her.

_That tattle-tale Mark._

He probably told his mom, and his mom probably told Yolanda. And of course, Yolanda told the whole family, and now everybody thought they were having a baby.

The problem now was breaking the news to the Rivera family.

That would be tricky.

The brunette could already imagine the look on her grandmother's face.

She felt her stomach clench just at the thought of it.

Then she felt her wife's hand tugging at her own.

Brown eyes looked up to meet blue ones and a silent conversation passed between them.

Naya let out a deep sigh.

"Yeah, about that-"

"When are you due?" Nickie cut her sister off before Naya could finish.

"I wish it's a boy." Yolanda said before Heather or Naya could answer.

Naya opened her mouth, but this time, it was her father to interrupt.

"I wish it's a girl." Dr. Rivera grinned.

"I wish you'd have twins." Maria said.

"Grandma, it's not like they can choose." Mychal laughed.

"Guys!" Naya screamed in frustration, stilling everybody in the living room.

Her parents exchanged confused looks.

Nickie stared agape.

Mychal stood intrigued.

Grandma's eyes narrowed.

Naya and Heather were both looking everywhere else except the Rivera family members.

The actress finally cleared her throat. There was no way around it now. Their marriage was more than enough lie to last them a lifetime. That alone was turning her world upside down already. They just couldn't continue to lie about the pregnancy.

"I think you got it all wrong." Naya spoke softly, she was barely heard.

The expressions on her siblings' faces showed recognition. It seemed that her parents also had the same realization with the way Naya was speaking, although they seemed to be in some sort of denial. Grandma's face was hard to read, but it was obvious she could tell she wasn't going to like what her granddaughter was about to say.

"We, uh… thought that, you know…" Naya looked at everybody, trying to hide her nerves.

A comforting squeeze of her hand by her wife encouraged her to continue.

"Hemo's not pregnant."

There was silence. Naya felt the stare of her family members.

"We thought we were having a baby. There were the symptoms, but we went to our doctor and, well, it turned out it was false alarm." Naya continued, hoping that the truth would dispel the awkwardness in the room. She hated disappointing them but she had to know the truth now.

A few seconds of silence passed until Nickie spoke up, breaking the ice.

"Well, that was a little bit anti-climactic."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you." Naya replied in apology.

"I guess you would have told us personally if you two were having a baby." Dr. Rivera sighed, looking disappointed but forcing an amused smile. Thinking about it, Naya would have let them know first if they really were pregnant.

"We just got so excited that we're having a mini HeYa in the family that we were so quick to jump into assumptions." Nickie shrugged it off with a smile.

"HeYa?" Naya quirked an inquisitive eyebrow.

"It's short for Heather and Naya." The youngest Rivera answered.

"It's cute." Heather smiled.

"You know, I'm suddenly not feeling well. Will you please excuse me?" Grandma turned around, heading for her bedroom without waiting for any response.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Yolanda asked her mother-in-law.

"I'll be fine."

Naya and Heather exchanged looks. Obviously, someone wasn't taking the news very lightly.

"Well, someone's got to do some damage control." Mychal turned his eyes to his elder sister, who just glared back at him.

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"Mark didn't have the right to just tell people! If you were really pregnant and he told my parents before we even could, I'm gonna make sure that he's never going to be able to talk about anything ever again!" Naya hurled her bag on the bed as they entered her bedroom.

It turned out, Naya's deduction was right. Mark did tell his mom, his mom congratulated Naya's mom, and now, the entire Rivera family knew.

To say she was angry was an understatement.

What if they were really having a baby?

"He's an ass. Your boss is a fucking asshole and I'm going to make sure that he knows that as soon as I see him at Lea's New Year's Eve party!" Naya threw herself on the bed, screaming her lungs out to release her rage.

The brunette wanted to strangle someone.

Heather stood watching her, forcing to hide the smile that was threatening to form on her lips. This wasn't supposed to be a funny situation but she felt like smiling.

Strangely, angry Naya was also sort of a turn-on.

Heather cleared her head of the sudden dirty thoughts.

"What are we going to do now? I don't want grandma to hate me." Heather walked to the closet and placed her bag near it. She couldn't forget the unreadable expression on Maria's face.

"She doesn't hate you."

"We should talk to her."

"You talk to her. You're like her favorite now."

"What am I going to say?"

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"Grandma, don't be sad." Heather finally broke the silence.

She was in grandma's room, sitting on the vanity chair a few feet away from the old woman who was sitting on her bed. Maria let her in without questions, but the lack of conversation was killing her already.

"I'm not sad." Maria replied. Somehow she sounded like Naya.

"You don't have to lie to me. I can see you're both sad and disappointed."

Grandma did not say anything back. She just stared on the floor. So, Heather continued.

"I don't know what to say except we're sorry. When we thought I was really pregnant, we couldn't wait to tell you, but we had to confirm first."

Still, the blonde did not get any reaction from grandma. She sighed. The old woman was being a little bit too sensitive about this, but she understood her desire to have great grandchildren. Maria might look strong, but she was older than she looked. If you stared closely, you'd notice the lines on her forehead, she was a bit slow in her movements; all indications that the Rivera matriarch wasn't getting any younger.

"I've gone into a few sessions with our doctor, but I was told that we might have a hard time conceiving considering the stress in my work." Heather cringed inside as she spoke the lie she weaved with her wife. She felt so guilty lying on grandma's face.

"Who's your doctor?" The old woman became a bit more responsive.

"Uhm… Ushkowitz?"

The blonde mentally facepalmed at the name. She and Naya did not really come up with their 'doctor's' name, and Jenna's name just crossed her mind first.

"Dr. Ushkowitz." Heather repeated, more to convince herself than grandma. She was never a good liar. She purposely avoided Maria's eyes everytime she had to tell a lie, afraid that actually staring back at those chocolate brown eyes would get her caught.

"I've never heard of that name before." Maria's eyebrows creased as she tried to recall if she knew someone of that name. She did meet many doctors through her son.

"Her surname's not very common, I guess." Heather said, trying to sound casual.

"She's European, I suppose?"

"Asian, actually."

Maria looked at her strangely. Heather would have explained Jenna's ancestry but it would seem weird to know that much about her 'doctor'. Heather would have answered the question with another lie, but the truth came out of her mouth automatically.

"Maybe you should talk with George. He has friends."

"Actually grandma, Naya and I decided to put off the in-vitro fertilization for a while." Heather replied timidly, afraid that she would disappoint grandma even more.

Heather waned at the look grandma was giving her.

"Do you not want to have children?"

"Of course we do, but… grandma, please don't be sad. We'd have children in the future, but we just got married. We both realized that we might be jumping into things too fast, and right now we just wanted to make the most of our alone time together."

Grandma was murmuring something to herself and Heather couldn't figure them out. She was starting to shut Heather out again and so, the blonde continued with her long explanation.

"Believe me, there's going to be a lot of room for Andres and Sofia in the future."

That certainly perked up grandma, because now, the corner of Maria's lips was threatening to tug up into a smile.

"You're considering the names that I gave Naya?"

"Grandma, I love them." Heather smiled. "Especially Sofia."

Finally, the oldest Rivera let the smile play on her lips. The silence the lingered thereafter was more comforting than it was before. Grandma seemed to be lost in thoughts. There was still that smile on her face, but the sadness was still there.

"I'm old, Heather. What if I don't have enough time to see my great grandchildren?" Grandma voiced out her concerns.

"Grandma, you're probably going to outlive every one of us." Heather joked.

Maria laughed at that. As in the loud, ha-ha-ha, booming kind of laugh. The blonde laughed with her. When their laughter died down, Heather continued.

"I love being with Naya, grandma." In this whole conversation, this was the most truthful Heather had ever been.

"That, I can tell."

"She gets into my nerves most of the time, and she can be annoying as hell. But she's caring and thoughtful, and it's such a bonus that she's extremely good-looking as well." Heather grinned.

"Sounds exactly like my Naya."

"I want to spend a little bit more time making her feel that she's all that matters to me." Heather's mind flashed back to their extended contract. She recalled her reaction to Naya's only term and she realized that she didn't really raise that much protest. She was actually happy that she got more time with her, before they set each other free to pursue whoever they wanted.

That felt bittersweet, but nevertheless made her smile. She had more time.

"If we have a baby now, then, I wouldn't be able to give my wife my undivided attention anymore. I'd love our children as much as I love her, but you know how children are. They need time, they need attention. For now, I want to give them all to Naya. Naya's my only baby for now. I hope that's alright with you."

Heather didn't get an answer. Instead, grandma got up from the bed and walked towards her. She leaned down and wrapped her arms lightly around the blonde with a big smile on her face.

"I am so glad my granddaughter met you."

"Me too, grandma."

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To make up for disappointing grandma, Heather volunteered to help her and Yolanda in preparing their Christmas Eve dinner. Sure, the Riveras were rich, you'd assume they'd have their own chef cooking their everyday meal, but they actually lived a simple life. A pair of cleaning ladies comes in thrice a week because the house was too big for the Rivera women to clean, but aside from that, they didn't indulge in much luxury despite owning the biggest hospital in Valencia.

Admittedly not a great cook, Maria just allowed her granddaughter-in-law to participate by chopping up some of the ingredients for what they would be cooking. It felt nice spending time like this with her in-laws. They talked about random things, whatever strikes their fancy, and right now, they were talking about Heather's favorite subject in the world: Naya.

"Naya wasn't a crier when she was a baby. She was always this tough girl, nothing could ever make her cry. Everytime she fought with Mychal, it was Mychal who would end up crying." Maria eagerly told Heather, who couldn't help but laugh at the new information that she got.

"Mother, I don't think Mychal would appreciate that." Yolanda said, but she was actually smiling.

"Oh, but it's the truth. But when Naya did cry, she wailed. She's a wailer." Grandma continued. "She wouldn't stop. She'd cry the whole day. You couldn't bribe her with anything. She'd only stop wailing whenever she felt like it."

"That's my Naya, alright." Heather was still laughing, then blushed when she realized what she just said.

"So you better not make her cry." Grandma playfully warned her.

"I won't."

"I wouldn't know how to make her stop."

"Well, what if she's the one who makes me cry?" The question came out before the blonde could stop herself. When she looked up at her in-laws, both stared bewildered at her. "It's just a hypothetical question." Heather shrugged, trying to sound more casual.

"Honey, let me tell you something." Yolanda looked at her earnestly. "Naya had been in so many relationships, I could never remember most of them. But what I remember is that I've never seen my daughter so happy with anyone else. You, Heather, placed that smile on Naya's face, and she'd never smiled that much in her life. You make her so happy, I don't think she'd risk making you cry. Believe me. I'm her mother."

"And if she does, I'll make sure to hit her with this chair to knock some sense back into her." Grandma turned a comforting smile at the blonde.

Heather returned the smile.

"Who are you hitting with a chair now and… Hemo! What are you doing, babe?" Naya was just entering the kitchen when she found Heather chopping some veggies. She rushed to her wife's side, carefully snatching the knife away in the process.

Heather sat surprised while Yolanda and Maria looked at her weirdly.

"You're not supposed to cook anymore." Naya said, slightly sounding irritated as she occupied the chair next to Heather and took over what her wife was previously doing.

"I wasn't cooking. I told grandma I wanted to help and-"

"Let me do this. Why don't you just help Nickie and Mychal? They are in the living room packing some additional toys for the children tomorrow."

Naya had already discussed with Hemo the annual Christmas thing that her family does for the hospital children. They'd been playing Santa to sick children in their hospital ever since she could remember, but without the Santa outfit, of course. As her father said, it was their way of giving back to the townsfolk of Valencia.

"You're banishing me from the kitchen? You can't keep me away from knives forever, you know." Heather was amused.

"I'm trying to make sure you don't lose any of your fingers, babe." As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Naya felt embarrassed at how she must have sounded.

Crap. Lesbians and their fingers.

Naya wished that the floor would open and just swallow her at that moment.

Yolanda coughed, but it was obvious she was just trying to mask a chuckle.

Maria pretended to be focusing on the chopping of her own.

The blonde's cheeks and ears were beet red.

So was Naya's.

"I'll, uh… I'll be in the living room." Heather sprinted out of the kitchen.

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"So, what did you do to get you thrown out of the kitchen?"

Heather looked up to meet her brother-in-law's inquisitive dark eyes. Just as instructed, she joined Mychal and Nickie in the living to pack up some of the additional toys for the hospital children that came in late that day.

"Nothing. Naya was just paranoid."

"About what?" Nickie asked this time.

Both the girls were sitting on the floor while Mychal sat on the couch. He was arranging the paper bags of toys on a box, while the girls were placing each of the toys on color-coded paper bags.

"I injured myself in the kitchen once." Heather shrugged.

Mychal and Nickie exchanged smiles.

"I've never seen Naya so protective before. Where have you been all this time? I never thought there's anyone in this world who could actually tame my sister, but here you are." Mychal remarked.

Heather didn't know what to say to that so she just smiled. She never said anything to anyone about it, but everytime Naya got so protective of her, her heart fluttered, which made it even harder for her. She had built these walls around her, but everytime she add a brick, Naya would just knock down two. Everytime Naya would successfully put a smile on Heather's face, the blonde felt her walls crumble.

"So, why does it seem like grandma's cooking for the whole neighborhood?" Heather asked curiously. The food in the kitchen was too much for just their family, and Naya did not mention if they had relatives coming. The brunette would have said something if she had to meet more members of the Rivera clan, wouldn't she?

"Oh, Rob comes over with his family for Christmas eve dinner every year. It's another of our traditions." Nickie said.

"Who's Rob?" The blonde's eyebrows creased. She'd never heard of Rob before.

"He's dad's bestfriend. You know, Angela's father." Mychal answered.

Blue eyes narrowed as it locked on him.

"Angela?"

Mychal's eyes widened in realization. Naya obviously had never told Heather about Angela beforehand. When he looked helplessly at Nickie, the youngest Rivera just gave him a look saying 'you are in deep shit'.

"Uh… I got to-"

"Mychal?" Heather's tone was so scary, Mychal was forced to sit down again before he could dash out of the house.

Damn, the blonde could even be scarier than his sister if she wanted to.

"For a boy, you have such a big mouth." Nickayla rolled her eyes at her brother.

"What, I just assumed Naya had already told her since they are married and Heather's going to meet her tonight anyway! And what's the big deal, it's the past." Mychal tried to reason with Nickie, who just looked annoyed.

Heather had her arms crossed, waiting expectantly for Mychal to enlighten her.

"Naya's going to kill me." Mychal pleaded with Heather.

"I'll make sure she doesn't do that. Now, is there something that I'm supposed to know about this Angela?" Heather quirked an eyebrow at her brother-in-law.

Mychal squirmed under the blonde's gaze.

"Well, Angela is sort of… Naya's first, you know… girlfriend."

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"So grandma, uhm, what did you and Hemo talk about?" Naya tried to sound nonchalant when she asked her grandmother.

The three Rivera women were still working in the kitchen.

"Wouldn't you want to know?" Grandma grinned knowingly at her grandchild. Yolanda just listened as she continued with her task.

"Grandma, come on." The brunette whined, sounding utterly impatient. She really wanted to know what Heather said to her grandmother.

"Say please." Grandma taunted Naya, just for fun.

"Seriously?"

Maria laughed at Naya's face.

"You're lucky she loves you." Maria added, without really answering Naya's question.

"She told you that?" There was a glimmer in Naya's eyes that grandma didn't miss.

"She didn't have to say it. But with all those things she said about you, I have no doubt about it." Maria laughed. "She did marry you." Grandma teased.

"So… what did she say?" Naya prodded further.

"You really aren't going to leave me alone until you got something, aren't you?"

"You know me too well."

Grandma ceased what she was doing and stared at nothing as if she was contemplating about what she was going to tell her granddaughter. Then she smiled.

"I'll give you two words."

"Only two?" Naya frowned.

"Extremely good-looking." Grandma wiggled her eyebrows at Naya, which had been funny if not creepy.

Naya blushed at Heather's compliment.

She tried to divert the attention away from her red face.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you with the baby news, grandma. We would have told you first if it were true."

"I still wish that you'd give me my great grandchildren soon, but when Heather told me that you're her only baby for now, then I thought that I could wait a while. I understand why you'd want to wait."

Naya felt a flurry of emotions when she heard that.

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Heather knew she wasn't supposed to care about Naya's ex-girlfriends. She never told her wife about her own exes, and personally she didn't think they'd matter because they were just parts of her past but somehow, she was hoping that Naya would say something about Angela. Was it too much to mention? She still should have known, right? A heads-up would have been fine since they'd have to spend Christmas eve dinner with the ex and her family.

Dinner time came and the Bradford family arrived just on time. They were Florida-based now. Heather met Dr. Rivera's bestfriend, Robert Bradford. He was also a doctor; a cardiologist to be exact. His wife was Joane. Heather also met their four children, Andrea, 17, Connor, 21, Jared, 23 and the eldest, Angela, 25. When Angela went to give Naya a hug, she flinched, no matter how friendly it was.

Angela Bradford looked like the younger version of Charlize Theron. She only had one year to finish med school and was bound to become a brilliant doctor.

That certainly didn't help ease the uneasy feeling that started to build inside Heather's stomach since she first heard the name Angela earlier that day.

Heather had been quiet the whole dinner, but she tried to act normal.

Naya noticed how the blonde was acting different, so she held her hand throughout dinner. That got her a smile from the blonde, but it didn't last long.

"Honey, is something wrong?" Naya leaned closer to her and whispered.

"I'm fine." Heather forced a smile.

She wasn't sure why she was feeling this way. It was familiar. It was like the way she felt when she saw Naya talking to that swimsuit model when they were shopping for grocery at the Pavilions. Only one word came close to describe what it was: jealousy. But to define it as that would force her to acknowledge the feelings that she had been trying to fight. She wasn't that keen on crossing that street alone. Sure, Naya was caring and all that, but she could hardly tell how the brunette felt about her now. They made out, but they hadn't really discussed it.

Truth was, she was afraid.

Heather was petrified.

That was the reason why she avoided talking about it at all cost. She felt a tingle everytime they kissed, but what if it wasn't like that for Naya?

She didn't want to find out.

Heather did not notice the worried glances that Naya kept throwing her way.

Naya could tell that something was bothering her wife, but couldn't think of what it could possibly be. The blonde seemed to enjoy her family's company and the sudden change of mood was unexpected.

"Are you sure?" Naya asked again.

"Yeah."

Naya tugged at Heather's hand harder, obliging her attention.

"Hemo?" Naya's tone was demanding as she leaned even closer to the blonde.

When Heather looked up and her eyes locked with Naya's, she tried to read them, to search for something, for answers to the questions that she formulated in her mind. She found concern. Then she mentally berated herself for actually believing she'd know how the brunette felt through her eyes. What made Jenna think that Naya was so in love with her? How about Yolanda? Other people could see the 'love' in their eyes, but why couldn't she?

"Baby, I'm okay."

It didn't look like Naya believed her one bit, but the brunette dropped it at once. Instead, she intertwined her right hand softly with Heather's right and continued eating only with her left hand. She gave the blonde a smile once in a while that Heather returned.

After dinner, the drinking began. Dr. Rivera opened his bar to everyone and the 'children' bonded by the poolside at the back of the house. The pool house was also stocked with alcohol and there was a bar outside. Excited to test out Connor's new alcohol-mixing skills, Nickie dragged Heather with her.

Naya was reluctant to let Heather go, but allowed her wife to bond with her sister and the Bradford siblings. They were good friends of her, and she figured Heather needed to relax anyway. Her and Angela stayed close by the pool, catching up.

"And this is for you, Heather."

Heather barely heard the male voice. She wouldn't have taken her eyes off Naya and Angela who were chatting a few feet away from them if it wasn't for Nickie elbowing her.

"What?"

"Your drink." Nickie gestured at the glass of a colorful liquid that Angela's brother Connor was handing her.

Heather reached for the glass and smiled gratefully at Connor.

"What do you call this?" She asked curiously.

"The Connor Bradford Experience." Connor grinned. Everybody started laughing, including Heather.

"That sounded dirty." Mychal commented.

"Exactly the way I wanted it to sound." Connor winked playfully at Heather, who winked back.

Heather decided to pry her attention away from Naya and just enjoy this bonding moment with her in-laws and the Bradfords. They all seemed nice.

"Careful. You don't want my sister to catch you." Mychal warned Connor. It was a joke.

"Hey, it's not my fault your sister-in-law is flirting back. You can't really blame the Bradford charm, right Heather?" Connor laughed.

Heather took a sip of her drink first, humming in approval at the taste of it before answering.

"You're a dashing young man, Connor." Heather said.

Connor hollered in glee. Andrea, the youngest of her siblings, rolled her eyes at her brother. She almost threw the bottle of Coke at him.

"Really mature, Connor. I'm sure Heather's just trying not to hurt your feelings."

Heather snickered at Andrea's comment. Her eyes snapped back towards Naya's direction when she saw movement in the corner of her eyes. Angela was touching her wife's arm. She felt something inside her flare.

"Well, why don't we ask her then?" Connor challenged.

"Brother, I think Heather is way out of your league." Jared gave his brother a patronizing tap.

"No no, I heard she's bisexual." Connor said.

That certainly got Heather's attention back again.

"What?"

Connor shut his mouth, not sure if he just crossed a line. He barely knew his friend's wife and wasn't really intending to offend her with the label or anything.

"You _read_ about me?"

"Well, Naya's my friend and when I heard she got married, I was curious to find out about you. I'm sorry, did I-"

"People actually bother to write about me?"

"There were a few. And you're often mentioned in articles about Naya. You mean you haven't read any articles that were written about you?" Nickie looked astounded.

"Uhm, no." Heather took a large gulp of her drink. She was embarrassed and curious and mortified.

"They were saying you dated Ian Sommerhalder in highschool." Mychal said, but it sounded more like a question.

"What? I haven't even met him. And I don't think we even went to the same school." Heather took another gulp of her drink. As soon as she finished it, Connor handed her another glass.

"Hollywood." Mychal and Jared said at the same time. Laughing it off, they raised both their glasses for a toast.

Meanwhile, Naya barely understood what Angela was talking about. Just a while ago, she felt that familiar gaze burning a hole at the back of her head. She could swear she felt Heather glaring at her, but when she turned, the blonde was busy discussing something with Connor.

Her head was turned towards the bar by the pool house, and her eyes focused on her wife who seemed to have an animated conversation with the Bradfords and her siblings. She felt the urge to join her and just wrap her arms around her wife. The touch on her forearm snapped her from her momentary daze.

"She doesn't seem to like me very much." Angela said before sipping from her flute of champagne. It was obvious who she was talking about.

"Hemo?"

"Is that how you call her?" Angela smiled fondly.

"Yeah."

"I tried striking up a conversation with her, but I felt like she didn't really want to talk to me." The tall blonde playfully narrowed her eyes at her ex.

"I'm sorry. Maybe it's because you're a stranger to her."

"I don't think that's why." Angela remarked knowingly.

"What do you mean?"

"Did you tell her about us?"

"No. Why?" Naya frowned.

"I think she knows."

"There's no way."

"But she's jealous."

"Really?"

"She wouldn't be giving me those dagger looks if she wasn't. Is she the jealous type?"

"I don't know. It upsets her that I talk to random beautiful women, but… She had met Britt before and they got along well. I didn't want to ruin her mood so I didn't tell her about you."

"Someone else probably did. And she's staring at us again." Angela took a large swig of her drink and darted her eyes away.

Naya snapped her head back, but before her eyes could meet Heather's, her wife had shifted her attention back to Connor again. She noticed Heather was holding a new glass-full of alcohol.

Back at the bar by the pool house, relieved that he didn't hit a nerve, Connor continued with their playful repartee.

"So, if you weren't married, would you date me?" Connor, apparently not afraid of Naya's retribution if she ever found out about this, asked Heather curiously.

"What?" Heather winced. She heard the question, she just wasn't sure if Connor was serious.

"Connor, will you stop hitting on Heather?" Andrea threw her empty can of Coke at her brother which hit him square in the chest.

"Oww! I'm not hitting on her. I'm just asking a what-if question." Connor massaged the part of his chest that was hit by the can. Damn, that can could hurt a person if thrown with just enough speed. Unfortunately for him, his sister has enough arm-power to crack his skull with an empty Coke can, being an all-star lacrosse and squash player. Thank God Andrea did not bother to learn kung fu.

"I don't know if I would date you." Heather looked apologetic, not wanting to offend her new friend.

"Why not?" Connor asked, his ego severely bruised.

"Told you. You don't stand a chance." Jared teased his brother.

"First, you're too young and second, you're not really my type." Heather shrugged.

"What is your type?" Connor prodded.

Nickie and Andrea rolled their eyes at the same time.

"That is the most stupid question I've ever heard. Seriously, did you not see the ring she's wearing on her finger?" Nickie puckered her eyebrows at Connor.

"It's okay. I'll answer that." Heather took another swig of her drink, and turned her eyes at Naya's direction.

Her eyes stayed there as she spoke again.

"My type would have long, silky raven hair. She would have dark, expressive, brown eyes. She'd have soft, plump lips that would make me want to kiss her for hours. A deep, raspy voice that never sounded sexier in the morning…" Heather finally turned her gaze back to her companions who were staring at her with their jaws on the ground.

Heather grinned.

"Oh, I also would prefer if she's a Hollywood movie star with killer abs and six tattoos on her body." The blonde added, just for fun.

"Wow, your type is definitely one of a kind." Jared smiled at Heather.

"Yeah, definitely."

"Cheers to that, sister-in-law." Mychal raised his glass to Heather, and the blonde obliged him.

"Cheers."

"Wait, Naya has six tattoos?" Connor stared open-mouthed at Heather. He seemed to be thinking, and when his eyes darted towards Naya's direction, Heather got up from her seat, immediately blocking her wife from view.

Blue eyes narrowed at Connor. Heather knew just what Connor was thinking. He was probably thinking where the sixth tattoo was.

"Don't even think about it." Heather warned.

"But-"

"You'd stop talking right now if you want to go home with all of your limbs."

Mychal, Nickie, Andrea and Jared started laughing so loud at the fear that crossed Connor's face. Heather had never sounded so scary and Connor probably never thought the blonde was capable of such thing. But just to be sure he could come home with complete hands and feet (and balls), he forced his eyes away from Naya. Heather sat back down, keeping an eye on Connor.

The laughter caught both Naya and Angela's attention. When the brunette made her way towards the pool house, Angela followed.

Heather was surprised at the pair of arms that suddenly wrapped around her from behind, but as soon as she felt the locks of soft hair brushed the side of her face, and the familiar smell of almond and honey hit her senses, she knew immediately who it was.

"What are you guys laughing at?" Naya said softly.

Connor turned to look at Naya but after seeing Heather glaring at him, he darted his eyes away. Nickie snickered when she caught it.

"Oh, nothing." Heather answered. She was feeling a little bit tipsy after her second glass of 'The Connor Bradford Experience'. To Connor's credit, it was really good.

"What are you drinking, babe?" Naya, without moving from her position behind Heather, grabbed the blonde's hand holding her glass and pulled the glass to her lips for a taste. "Are you trying to get my wife drunk, Bradford?" Naya narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Connor.

"Oh god, I'm going to die here, aren't I?" Connor looked fearfully at Naya.

Then Naya burst out laughing. Everybody followed. Connor's face flushed bright red.

"I'm joking Connor. Got to learn how to take a joke sometimes." The actress winked at her younger friend. Heather's drink didn't taste that strong. She just wanted to pull Connor's chains.

"Yeah, whatever. You two are so meant for each other." Connor scowled at Naya.

"You got that right." Naya smiled before turning her attention back to Heather. "Baby, I'm really tired so I'm gonna go to bed."

For everybody else, it sounded like an invitation for Heather.

Jared wiggled his eyebrows at Connor, who tried not to react. Nickie and Mychal preferred to block their ears and tuned out their sister's voice. They loved her and Heather but they didn't need to know anything more. Andrea was doing the same except that she was blushing in embarrassment that she had to hear it. Angela was watching everybody's reaction in amusement.

For Naya, it was an excuse to go to sleep first before Heather to avoid another awkward make-out session that could lead to something more because she just couldn't resist being near Heather without touching her, but if there was something to ever happen between them (she wasn't totally dismissing that possibility, maybe after she could sort out her own feelings), it wasn't going to be in her parents' house. Not with every member of her family near.

And for Heather, well, it was only now that she was reminded that she was sharing the bed with Naya again and she couldn't help but fear she wouldn't be able to resist touching her. Invitation or not, she couldn't go to bed with an awake Naya.

"Can I stay longer? I haven't had much fun like this since… I can't even remember." Heather said.

"Okay. Come up when you're sleepy. Don't get too drunk." Naya smiled. When she leaned down to kiss Heather on her cheek, she was surprised when pale, cold hands grabbed her face and angled her lips straight into Heather's.

It was a weird angle considering her position from behind Heather, but that didn't stop Naya from kissing back. There was a little bit of tongue action involved that Naya had a hard time suppressing a moan. Thank god Heather pulled away before Naya could embarrass herself.

"Goodnight, Hemo." Naya whispered in her wife's ear, before walking into the house with a goofy grin on her face.

Heather was smirking on her own, her glazed eyes flickered at Angela for a brief second.

Angela noticed. Amused, she couldn't help the chuckle that came out of her mouth.

_Definitely jealous. _

The Rivera house was still buzzing with life as the small party thrown by Naya's parents went on beyond midnight. Minutes had passed since the brunette had isolated herself in her bathroom, mainly to let her wife bond with her family and, to get herself away from her super-friendly ex-girlfriend. Angela was nice and fun to talk with, but she was naturally charming, and Heather obviously wasn't taking the harmless flirting lightly. So, in order to not embarrass her ex and hurt Heather, Naya just decided to remove herself from the situation, thus, the late night bath.

Soaked chest-deep in the tub, Naya got cozy with a glass of red wine, the soft sound of sweet music playing in her iPod, and the scent of a dozen candles permeating the room. Her head rested comfortably on one end of the tub, her eyes closed as she hummed along with Adele, belting out one of her famous songs. The hot, bubbly and foamy water was refreshing and utterly relaxing.

She was too lost in her own world to notice the sound of the door, or the sound of light, deliberate steps taken towards her.

She also failed to realize that she wasn't alone anymore.

It took minutes before Naya felt someone watching her. When she opened her eyes, she was barely able to suppress a surprised yelp when she saw the intense pair of blue eyes staring back at her.

Heather was knelt down by the tub, her arms resting on the side, and she was leaning too closely into Naya's personal space.

Naya gulped.

They held their gaze, not one word said as the staring match lasted a few minutes. Naya was flushed, not only because of the hot water, but because of how close her wife was, and the fact that she wasn't wearing anything under the bubbled water.

She cleared her throat.

"I'm uh, I'm going to be finished in a few minutes if you want to use the bathroom. You-"

"I don't."

"Hemo-" Her voice was barely audible as she breathed her name out.

"Shhh..." Heather lifted her right index finger, and when it made contact with Naya's lips, there was a gasp.

Neither of them was sure from whose mouth it came out.

Naya sat frozen on the tub; her movement restricted. Blue eyes were still locked intently on her and it was making her squirm. The finger still on her lips, a gesture for her to shut up, wasn't helping at all.

"Are you drunk?" Naya asked as she noticed the glaze on Heather's eyes. She was a little embarrassed at how husky her voice sounded. They were barely touching but Heather was making her feel all sorts of things, and it was a miracle that she managed to keep her hands on her side.

Her eyes shut involuntarily when she felt warm breath hit her right ear as Heather leaned closer and whispered.

"Just had a few shots with Mychal and Nickie." Pink lips ghosted over Naya's earlobe, causing a shiver.

Naya's hands closed into fists, trying to control herself from acting on the sudden surge of feelings. But her wife wasn't making it any easier for her as her finger started tracing the outline of her lips.

"Oh, and your first girlfriend. _No big deal_." The blonde tried to sound casual, but the bite in her tone was too hard to miss. It had been bothering Heather all night. If Angela was Naya's first girlfriend, did that mean that she was also Naya's first _everything_? She was too busy mulling about how special Angela must have been to notice the look of surprise on Naya's face.

All the while, Naya thought she had successfully avoided the 'ex thing', but obviously, somebody opened their mouth. Naya thought of possible suspects, but her musing was cut short when Heather's finger that was on Naya's lips started slipping downwards, slowly, torturously, tracing her jaw line. Apparently not content, the blonde's long finger made its way down tanned neck, trailing even lower.

"Why didn't you tell me about Angela?" She husked.

Naya opened her eyes, but decided against turning her head; afraid of the contact that a little movement could cause. The blonde's finger was playfully drawing circles on top of her chest, dangerously reaching underwater level. She could barely breathe.

"She's just my ex, Hemo." The brunette's voice trembled.

She didn't want to make it awkward for Heather, that's why she didn't tell her about Angela. Another reason was that she didn't want to upset her, the way she did when she talked to that swimsuit model when they were buying their groceries. If talking to a random woman distressed her wife what more when she saw her talking to an ex? She was trying to avoid that, but now that Heather found out, this certainly wasn't the reaction she was expecting.

Not that she was complaining.

"Well, for an ex, she's way too… _friendly._" Heather's index finger continued its journey downwards, creating a blazing trail of fire on the valley of Naya's breasts, down to her navel.

Brown eyes shut closed again as her breath hitched.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you about Angela. I'll tell you all about my exes and talk about them outside just let me get-" Naya's attempt to get out of this tormenting situation was immediately interrupted as Heather's finger dug into the skin just below her belly button.

"Ooh…" Naya whimpered, her face turning redder at how she sounded.

A predatory grin played on Heather's lips.

"We can talk now. We can talk _here._" The blonde lowered her voice to that sexy, sultry tone that got Naya's eyeballs rolling to the back of her head.

Yeah, well, talking inside the bathroom wasn't going to work since Heather's hand was totally distracting her. It was surprising really, that Naya could still talk especially now that the finger on her navel was now a full hand, touching her abs.

Heather purposely blew a warm puff of breath on her wife's ear, causing her body to jerk at the sensation.

The blonde's grin grew even wider at the reaction.

"No. Ugh, it's not… We really, should… I-I mean…"

Naya was distracted again as Heather's upper lip traced her earlobe.

"Talk." The actress tried to shook her brain from the cloud of lust that was now dominating her whole being. "I want to talk… when you're sober. And when I'm properly dressed if you don't mind." The brunette managed to choke out, albeit in a whisper. The way Heather had been murmuring in her ear was causing a stir in her system. Even underwater, she felt the arousal pooling between her legs.

The blonde pulled back a bit to look at her.

Heather's eyes blatantly stared, traveling downwards and locking on the bubbled water into the direction where her hand was still caressing tanned abs. There was a glint in her eyes, and before Naya could say anything, the hand made its way upwards.

"Oh, god…" Naya breathed out, shakily.

She didn't stop the blonde. Naya was too shocked to move, and was actually enjoying it far too much to do anything about it. The hand traced the trail previously created by her finger, teasingly making its way up, between the valley of Naya's breasts, purposely avoiding them, and eventually wrapping itself at the back of the brunette's neck.

Naya felt the tug as Heather moved, pulling her closer, closing their distance.

Heather, who obviously wasn't thinking straight, did the one thing that she wouldn't have done had she been without any alcohol in her system. Heck, she wouldn't have even dared to bother Naya's privacy if she wasn't drunk.

The blonde seductively brushed her lips with Naya's, who wasn't able to control the moan that came out involuntarily from her mouth as their lips connected. Heather's lips were tempting her, urging her, seducing her.

She gave in.

Plump lips parted to welcome Heather's exploring tongue. This kiss wasn't soft. It wasn't gentle. It wasn't like the kiss that they had when they first made out. It was untamed, primal even. Heather was letting go of all her inhibitions and Naya moaned in approval, her own tongue fervently meeting her wife's. As she allowed Heather to deepen the kiss, her left hand tangled with blonde hair holding Heather in place, while her right hand grabbed onto her wife's waist, with the blonde now hunched over the tub. It was all getting out of control, and Naya was beginning to lose all sense of reason and could actually care less if the world ended that moment; all she felt was Heather.

Being like this with Heather felt like it was everything she ever wanted.

She was excited to feel more of her; to have more of her.

When they broke the kiss for air, Heather, who seemed so fond of Naya's ear, nibbled on the one that she had been teasing just minutes ago. She groaned upon feeling Naya's hand under her shirt, kneading every part of skin that she found. Her hand was wet, but every touch was scorching.

Now, Naya would have fainted when Heather licked her ear and her wandering hand started rubbing her left breast.

If Heather hadn't beat her to it.

Yup. Just when things were getting hotter and hotter, the blonde passed out.

"Baby?" It was a strange time to use the term of endearment, but Naya wasn't exactly paying attention at the word that automatically came out of her mouth.

Hemo did not say anything back, but it was obvious what just happened since Naya felt the weight of Heather's upper body on her. The brunette was conflicted whether to feel relieved or frustrated. She was feeling both. Getting Heather into bed was going to be tricky. She wasn't only naked and wet, she was also, well, _wet_.

Naya sighed. One of her hands was still wrapped around Heather's waist. Her other hand reached up to stroke blonde hair, unconsciously sniffing the lavender scent, as Heather's head rested safely on the brunette's shoulder.

"Hemo, what are you doing to me?"

There was another deep sigh.

_Way to be left turned on and frustrated._

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

The other side of the bed was cold and she was alone when Naya woke up that Christmas morning. She was hoping she'd wake up first so she could stare at Heather's face, but unfortunately, the blonde beat her to it. She wondered if her wife remembered. The first time they made out, Heather used the wine as her excuse.

There was a sinking feeling in Naya's stomach that it was about to happen again.

Heather was alone drinking coffee on the breakfast counter when Naya entered the kitchen. The blonde smiled at her and said greeted her good morning so casually as if nothing happened. Her eyes were focused on the TV which was switched on to MTV as she sipped on her cup of coffee.

Naya poured herself a cup and joined the blonde on the table. She took the seat next to her.

"Hemo…"

"Do you want some toast?" Heather offered her plate to Naya.

Naya just shook her head no. She just wanted to talk about what happened but the blonde wasn't making it easy for her. She had been struggling with so many feelings lately, and all those feelings had something to do with the tall blonde who was sitting next to her right now. One thing was for sure though; she liked Heather. She could feel that she was starting to like her too much. But the feelings that she had, those were the kind of feelings she'd never felt before, for anyone. So it was kind of new to her. It was undefined and it scared her. And then last night happened.

What would have happened if Heather didn't pass out? Had they taken it too far, would Heather regret it? Would she? They had to talk about it. They had to figure it out together. But they wouldn't be able to if Heather wouldn't even discuss it with her.

"About last night…" Naya fiddled with her hands nervously.

"Yeah, about that. I'm sorry I got drunk. I don't even remember how I got into bed." Heather lied.

Walls. Heather was building her walls back up.

"Oh. Uhm, you don't remember?" Naya tried not to sound disappointed.

"No. Why? I didn't do anything stupid or embarrassing, did I?" Heather feigned worry.

Naya forced a chuckle.

"No, just… forget it." Naya distracted herself by sipping on her cup of coffee. She was confused as to how she felt. Was she relieved that she had more time to figure her feelings out on her own, or was she actually disappointed that Heather didn't remember?

Well, Naya did remember one thing.

Angela was right. Heather didn't like her.

"Hemo?"

"Hmm?"

"I should have told you about Angela."

Heather just shrugged.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. You're my wife. There are things that you're supposed to know so you don't get surprised. She was my first girlfriend. Her family is friends with ours, and it's kind of awkward, I know especially that she's kind of flirty but I swear, she's harmless. I'll make sure to stay away from her from now on."

Just then, Nickie who obviously had just woken up judging by her hair, followed by Mychal, entered the kitchen. Naya glared at them to get back out, but neither got her message. Mychal and Nickie sat opposite the couple with their own cups of coffee. Nickie yawned and stretched while Mychal stared at noting in particular.

"Honey, it's fine. You don't have to explain." Heather said.

Naya decided to just ignore her siblings. They were still probably half-asleep anyway.

"But I want to. I want you to know that you're the one that matters to me. Angela's just someone from my past."

"Angela was her first wife." Mychal interjected.

"What?" Heather's eyes widened. That certainly got her attention.

"What the fuck, Mychal?" Naya snapped at her brother.

"We were still children then. Angela and I were supposed to be playing mom and dad, but Naya didn't like the idea, so she forced me to play priest and I married them two in the backyard. I thought that was weird." Mychal mumbled as he continued staring in space.

Heather was visibly relieved.

"Wait a minute." Naya looked suspiciously at him. "You told Hemo about Angela, didn't you?"

Mychal just shrugged.

"He did." Nickie confirmed.

Naya stared at Mychal in disbelief.

"So, how many ex-girlfriends does she have?" Heather asked Mychal.

"You don't wanna know." He replied.

"You mean you're not going to tell me?"

"Hey, I don't want you to divorce my sister, so no." Mychal shook his head frantically.

"You're not really helping." Naya growled at her brother before turning her attention back to Heather. "I swear, he's adopted. Hemo, if you want to know all about my past relationships, I'd tell you. I just didn't think it's worth the time just because it's the past. That's where it's supposed to be."

Heather did not say anything, so Naya continued.

"I'm sorry, baby. Please, forgive me?"

"I wasn't really mad at you. I was just…"

_Jealous._

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Hemo, just so you know, I wouldn't have 'married' Angela if I'd already met you back then."

Heather blushed.

"Awww." Nickie mocked her sister's sappiness, with emphasis, by holding the part of her chest where her heart was supposed to be.

"Whipped." Mychal coughed.

"I am NOT whipped."

"Oh, you so are, sweetheart." The blonde teased Naya.

"Do spill, sister-in-law." Mychal, now fully awake, took a huge gulp of his coffee and focused his attention on Heather.

"Babe, please don't." Naya pleaded but her plea fell on deaf ears. Heather just gave her that mischievous smile and started telling her siblings about the Disneyland incident.

Great, she was never going to live that down.

After the story, she was sure every Lion King mask would remind her siblings about her.

Thinking about it, she wasn't even sure why she went to Disneyland. Maybe Mychal was right. She was whipped. She hadn't even slept with Heather and she was whipped.

Whipped. As. Fuck.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

It wasn't long before Naya's parents and grandmother came down. The whole family gathered near the Christmas tree in the living room for their traditional annual gift-giving. Naya had missed a few of this because of her misunderstanding with her father. The few times she attended were filled with tension and she never really enjoyed them. But this year was different.

She was actually really happy, her heart was about to burst.

Heather and Naya sat next to each other on the floor, with Nickie and Mychal. The elders were on the couch.

Naya and Heather had given out gifts as a couple. So far, everybody loved what they got.

Heather got a few interesting gifts. Let's just say Mychal made both her and Naya blush. Maria, on the other hand, had no time to buy a new gift to replace the maternity dress she originally bought for Heather. That got the blonde blushing too. She decided to keep it for the future. She did promise grandma that Andres and Sofia were a possibility. She also got some expensive ones, like the designer bag from Nickie, and the pair of earrings from her parents-in-law.

And now she was about to open what Naya got her.

Heather had never been so excited.

Naya was nervous.

Heather ripped the wrappings off Naya's gift and her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she saw what was inside. It was actually the simplest gift she had received that day, but there was no doubt she liked it the most.

It was framed photo of her and Naya. And the photo was something she had never seen before. She didn't even know Naya took it, but she was very sure as to when it was taken.

It was the photo Naya had taken of them spooning.

Naya braced herself for what was to come.

Nickie leaned over to see why Heather was rendered speechless and couldn't help the big smile on her face.

"Aww, you guys sleep like that? You're so adorable."

The elders also took a peek of the photo and smiled.

"I knew Heather was the big spoon." Mychal laughed.

Before Naya could ask if Heather liked her gift, a pair of lips connected with her own. The kiss was brief, but it was enough to make her heart beat faster than normal. She felt the pads of Heather's fingers touch her cheek as she whispered against her lips.

"I love it." Heather had a huge smile on her face as she pulled back from Naya.

The brunette finally sat at ease.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Thank you, babe." Heather reached for Naya's hand and interlocked it with her own.

"Well, good. I'm glad you loved it. But, that isn't the only thing I got for you." Naya pulled small box from behind her and handed it to Heather.

"There's another one? But I only got you one gift." Heather examined the small the box.

"You've given me more than enough. Open it, Hemo." Naya nudged the blonde.

So Heather did. And Heather's jaw dropped.

It was a key.

A car key.

"Naya?"

"Do you want to see it?" Naya looked excitedly at Heather.

"But you didn't have-" Hemo didn't get to finish as Naya pulled her up with her still intertwined hands. Naya rushed to the door with the family trailing behind, knowing smiles on their faces.

Heather was rendered speechless for the second time that day upon seeing the brand new car parked next to Naya's Range Rover. It had a huge ribbon wrapped around it.

The car was a silver 2013 Subaru BRZ.

What, Naya was a Hollywood superstar.

"Hemo?"

"Why…"

"Your car is a piece of crap and it's pretty useless and it's probably going to burn down on its own one of these days." Naya turned to face her wife, who was still staring open-mouthed at the new car. "I figured you needed a new ride."

"Naya, you didn't have to." Heather turned to face Naya as well. She had mixed feelings about it. Who wouldn't be thrilled to receive such an expensive car? But Naya was going to give her house back after their contract ends. She didn't need to spend money to get her a car. The brunette had done so much for her. She had made her feel a part of a family again. And that was priceless.

"Well, I'll start filming Batwoman after New Year and I wouldn't be around much to pick you up from work."

"But it's too expensive."

"Who's complaining?" Naya grinned.

"Naya…"

"What?"

"You've done more than enough for me."

"Who's counting?"

Heather spun around to look at the car again. Would that mean they'd be driving back to Eagle Rock separately? Also, that would mean she'd see less Naya at her workplace. As she thought about it, the blonde started finding so many disadvantages to having her own car.

"Babe?"

"I don't want to drive back home separately." Heather said honestly.

That sort of made Naya's heart jump.

"We don't have to. I'll just ask the family driver to drive your car for us, is that okay?"

Heather's face lit up.

"It's perfectly okay."

"Good. Now, why don't we go back inside and join my family to watch our old home movies?"

"Home movies?"

"Yeah. I'm sure you'd enjoy watching the videos of Mychal running around our former house butt-naked."

"Eww, I'm not sure about that."

Naya and Heather were laughing as they settled with the family back in the living room.

The actress got her revenge on Mychal. Her brother monopolized all of the embarrassing moments in their home videos and she didn't stop picking on him.

Naya was an adorable little child and Heather enjoyed watching her. Thank god for home movies, Heather got to see this part of Naya. She couldn't remember having enjoyed any other thing as much as this; lounging in the family living room with the Riveras, with her head resting against her wife's, and Naya's arm wrapped protectively around her.

Heather didn't feel so alone anymore.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Naya warned her that the Bradfords would be joining them in their Santa mission at the hospital that afternoon. The brunette asked her if she'd be okay and Heather said yes. She could be civil. Angela was okay, but the way the other blonde unnecessarily reached out to touch her wife occasionally the previous night was affecting her judgment on her as a person.

_Better keep her hands to herself, or else…_

"You okay there?"

Heather jumped at the sound of the voice that came from behind her. She turned to see Jared Bradford looking at her in concern. She felt embarrassed being caught staring at her wife who was talking with Angela. Again.

"Yeah. I'm good."

Jared chuckled. Heather's face was saying something else.

"They are talking about which hospital wing they'd take. Last I heard, the Bradford Team gets the east and the Rivera Team gets the west."

How the hell did Jared know that she was wondering about what those two were talking about?

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, Angela's got a girlfriend that she's planning to propose to when she visits her on New Year. My sister isn't even supposed to be here but she wanted to ask for mom's family ring so she came here out of obligation. That was the condition."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Heather, you aren't really that subtle hiding your jealousy." Jared broke to her. "Whatever Naya had with Angela is nothing compared to what she has with you right now. That's all you have to remember." Jared gave her a knowing smile before walking towards the east wing with a big box of gifts.

Heather watched as Andrea and Connor followed behind him.

Her eyebrows furrowed, thinking of Jared's words.

She spun around and saw Naya and Angela still talking. She then walked towards them, not really intending to stop. Heather just intertwined their hands and pulled Naya away from Angela without so much of a word.

Naya did not protest. She just mouthed a 'sorry' to Angela who just smiled in amusement.

Heather was totally jealous.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

The Riveras were partnered up and had almost visited each of rooms in the children's ward. Grandma had stayed home while Heather and Naya were at the last ward, talking to a 5 year old kid. Her name was Caden and Heather was immediately taken by her as soon as they entered the room.

Caden had broken some bones on her feet and had undergone surgery to repair the damage. She was advised to stay in the hospital until after New Year. The kid seemed so happy when Naya and Heather came in. She was alone and her mother was still on her way back to the hospital. She immediately recognized Naya and shrieked. The kid managed to calm down after a few minutes, though.

That happens.

"Can you stay with me until my mom arrives?" The puppy look Caden was giving them was more than enough to convince Heather. The blonde child was hugging the big stuff toy they'd given her and she had that pout on her face that neither Naya nor Heather could resist.

"Okay, we'll stay." Heather happily sat on the edge of Caden's bed while Naya sat on the chair near them. The blonde brushed a stray hair out of the girl's face.

"Where's your baby?"

"What? What do you know about babies?" Naya was stunned at the girl's question. Not exactly the one she was expecting.

"I saw you on TV. You looked so beautiful when you got married. Mom said that only those people who love each other get married and they have babies. Mom said that's why they had me, because she loves my dad and dad loves her. So, do you have a baby?" Caden looked innocently at Naya, who just opened her mouth like a fish, but no words came out.

"Not yet. But we're gonna have one, just like you." Heather answered for both of them, booping Caden's nose in the process.

"Can I meet them?"

"Of course. In the future." Heather brushed Caden's hair with her hand.

"Yay! I can't wait." Caden gave them a toothy smile.

Both Naya and Heather laughed. Then Heather felt something hit the side of her forehead. When she turned, Caden was holding something against her face. She pulled back a little to see mistletoe in the little girl's hand.

She raised a questioning eyebrow.

"You have to kiss!" Caden grinned.

"Where did you even get that?" Heather asked in amusement.

Caden just shrugged.

"You want me to kiss you?" Heather moved closer to give the girl a peck on the cheek but was pushed before her lips even touched skin. The blonde sat back, befuddled.

"You're supposed to kiss your wife." Caden pointed to Naya.

"Her?" Heather asked, just to confirm, totally indulging the child.

"Yup."

"Okay. How about you kiss me first, and then, I'll kiss her?" Heather offered.

"Okay!" Caden then pulled Heather by her sleeve and placed a wet, sloppy kiss on her right cheek. "Now you kiss her." The girl clapped in excitement.

Heather and Naya exchanged amused looks. When blue eyes darted back to the girl, Heather found an eager looking pair of eyes staring back at her.

"Well, you heard her." Heather told Naya, who remained sitting on her chair.

"What?"

"Come here." Heather beckoned the brunette to get closer. She didn't really feel like moving.

"You said you're going to kiss me, so why don't _you_ come over here?" Naya grinned at her.

Heather rolled her eyes.

"Sweetheart?"

"Yes, honey?"

"The mistletoe is here so you come here. Don't be so annoying."

"Are you picking up a fight with me in front of a child?" Naya teased.

"Naya?" The blonde looked stern and it was obvious she was losing her patience.

"I'm up! I'm up!" Naya got up from her seat and took the step towards Heather.

"Try to keep it PG."

"No need to warn me, babe." Naya winked at the blonde. She leaned closer but as soon as her lips touched Heather's, it was gone.

"That wasn't a kiss." Caden looked at Heather, frowning.

"Yeah, that wasn't a kiss. I agree." Naya looked inquisitively at her wife.

"There's a kid watching, what did you expect?" Heather glared at the actress.

"I'm not a kid." Caden protested while crossing her arms.

"Did Naya teach you that?" Heather looked suspiciously at Naya.

"What? No! I just met her."

"Why don't you want to kiss Naya? Don't you love her?"

"Huh? That's… ugh, okay. I'll kiss her again if that's what you want."

"Yes!" Caden high-fived with Naya.

Heather narrowed her eyes at the two.

The thought that it might have been Naya that gave Caden the mistletoe crossed her mind, but she immediately dismissed it. Sighing, she turned her head back towards Naya and wet her dry lips. When she leaned closer to her, Naya met her halfway.

The kiss lasted longer this time. It was wholesome, but just the same, it sent tingles through Heather's skin. When they parted, she felt a little bit woozy, fortunately she was sitting on the edge of Caden's bed.

"I…" Heather caught herself before she could finish that sentence.

Naya looked at her intently, but Heather did not continue.

"You what?"

"Nothing. I just… oh, hey, your mom's here." Heather smiled as the woman who was undoubtedly Caden's mother entered the room. She got off the bed and introduced herself and Naya.

She couldn't be more than thankful for the distraction.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

It had been a long, fulfilling day. Christmas was almost over, and now as they retreated to Naya's childhood bedroom, Heather found herself dreading joining her wife in bed without any alcohol in her system.

Actually, she was dreading it either way since she couldn't seem the stop herself from wanting to kiss Naya, drunk or not.

Naya was placing some pillows on the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"Maybe I should sleep on the floor." Naya was dreading having to sleep beside Heather as well. Kissing the blonde was becoming her addiction and she even used Caden to steal some more kisses.

"You can't sleep on the floor. It's freezing."

"But-"

"Naya, you're not sleeping on the floor." Heather couldn't, with her conscience, allow her wife to suffer the coldness of the night on the floor. This was Naya's parents' house, after all.

"Okay."

Naya picked up her pillows and climbed into bed. Carefully.

"I promise not to do anything… stupid."

Heather just smiled and laid down on her side, facing away from Naya.

They switched off the lamps on their sides at the same time.

It was already 1:00 a.m. and Heather found herself still widely awake and facing Naya's back. She had been watching and listening at the brunette's steady breathing for hours now.

She had been thinking of yesterday. Of what happened the previous night. Of the way she felt being with the Rivera family. Of everything that had been happening.

All those efforts to fight her feelings. All those distance that she kept between them. All those reasons she held on to justify why she shouldn't. Those just weren't enough.

She could feel her walls starting to crumble.

But she was losing her fight to keep it together.

Naya was just… Naya. She was proving to be the opposite of everything she originally thought she was.

Ignoring her mind's protests, Heather scooted closer towards Naya. Gently, she snaked her right arm over the brunette's waist, letting it fall on top of her wife's abs. She tenderly pulled her closer, making sure not to wake her up. Naya's back molded against her front, and it felt like they were one. The blonde nuzzled Naya's neck, indulging herself with the sudden assault of Naya's scent on her senses. Just like her kisses, it was addictive.

"Goodnight, honey. I can't wait to wake up to you tomorrow." Heather whispered against Naya's neck.

She was falling, hard, and no matter how hard she tried, there was just no way of stopping it. There was just nothing that she could do. Maybe she should just let it be.

She totally missed the way Naya's lips formed into a contented smile.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

**AN: **As you all know, Chapter 9 would be all about Lea's annual New Year's Eve party. We're actually approaching the end (Chapter 12, maybe?), so just a little hint. The angst will be coming in Chapter 10.

BY THE WAY, THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! They are so inspiring. Know that I appreciate every one of them although I couldn't reply to each. To the anons who kept reviewing, I love you all!


	10. New Year's Eve

**AN: **I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I'd say work got in the way, but lately, I've been watching too much Criminal Minds, so, blame JJ. I'm kind of crushing on A.J. Cook at the moment. Haha.

By the way, AWESOME reviews on the previous chapter. Thank you.

**CHAPTER 9**

**NEW YEAR'S EVE**

**The Annual Lea Michele NYE Party**

A pair of brown eyes fluttered open to a head of blonde hair.

Rays of the early morning sun were starting to creep in through the slightly parted curtains covering the bedroom windows on her wife's side, casting a silhouette glow as the light hit the back of Heather's head. It created the illusion of a halo framing the blonde's face.

Her wife looked like an angel, slumbering peacefully on her side, facing her.

A small smile played on her lips.

The sound of a contented sigh broke the silence of the morning.

They were still in her parents' house in Valencia, in her bedroom; the room that the two of them had been staying in since Christmas. It was going to be their last morning together before they move to the family ranch a few miles away to meet with her childhood friends for Lea's annual New Year bash.

Sure, they'd still be sharing a bed in the ranch, but it was a reminder that the holidays were about to be over which only meant one thing. She and Heather would be retreating back to their own bedrooms, in their own beds, as soon as they got back to Eagle Rock, back to the real world.

Somehow, she felt like she didn't even want to go back there.

Naya was lying on her side, facing her wife. It was too early for her to be awake, but it didn't matter that she wasn't used to waking up earlier than 7 a.m. All that mattered was waking up ahead of Heather so she could stare at her face. She was familiar with the few freckles on the blonde's nose by now. Sometimes, her wife even snored faintly. And that made cutting her sleep short all worth it.

It hadn't been easy keeping her hands to herself lately. During dinner, her hand always found Heather's. Her wife never said anything about it despite having a hard time eating with one hand. That also happened everytime they were taking a walk. Or when they'd join grandma in the couch to watch her favorite soap opera (that made her gagged everytime), Naya always found herself leaning too close to Heather.

The urge to touch her wife was getting a little bit hard to control, just as she was feeling now.

Her fingertips were about to brush against the skin of Heather's face when the blonde stirred, causing Naya to pull her hand back. Her wife was waking up and she didn't want to get caught staring, so brown eyes shut closed and Naya remained still. She felt the movements on Heather's side of the bed. She almost smiled as she imagined the blonde stretching her limbs and yawning adorably, in an attempt to jolt herself awake.

Yes, Heather did that.

Every morning.

And every morning, Naya adored it.

Heather had followed a ritual every morning that they'd slept in the same bed together. And Naya was more excited of what Heather was going to do next. So she tried her best pretending that she was still asleep. The movements on her side ceased, and she could feel blue eyes on her.

Heather was staring at her.

Naya waited for those particularly soft pair of lips touch the skin on her forehead, but it was taking too long than it normally did. Just when she thought she wasn't getting her 'secret morning kiss' this time, she felt as Heather moved, closing the distance between their faces. Their foreheads rested against each other, their noses touching. Their lips were separated by a mere centimeter, or maybe less.

She wondered if the blonde could feel her heart beating frantically against her chest, and it almost jumped out as she felt Heather's lips against hers, leaving a barely-there kiss.

For days, Heather had been leaving a kiss on her forehead before getting out of bed. She loved the way that Heather thought she was stealing kisses from her when Naya had been awake all those times. It was making her feel all sorts of feelings, because those kisses maybe wholesome but they were different. They meant something.

They got to mean something, or why did Heather had to do them in secret, when she thought Naya was asleep?

The feel of Heather's warm breath on her face sent shivers through Naya's body. It took all of her energy to control herself from pulling the blonde closer for a proper kiss. She felt Heather's fingertips brush the side of her face before getting out of bed, and out of the room.

Naya suddenly felt cold with Heather's absence in the room, but as she opened her eyes, she felt giddy. She couldn't hide her happiness as her lips formed into the biggest smile. Naya then reached for Heather's pillow and held it to her chest. She snuggled into it, indulging herself in Heather's scent.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

"Naya!"

The actress literally jumped at the sound of that voice.

"You didn't- oomph!" The air was literally knocked out of Naya's chest as somebody engulfed her in a tight hug.

Or more like rammed her and was squeezing the life out of her.

And no, it wasn't grandma.

They had just arrived at the family ranch and Naya was taking out the bags from the Range Rover when Lea came barreling out of nowhere towards her without warning.

"Ugh, Lea, get your clammy tentacles off of me before my wife sees you! Not that she'd think of you as competition. She just doesn't want other people touching me." Naya pried Lea's arms off. Her irritation would have been believable if she wasn't laughing.

"You're here!" Lea squealed as she pulled away from her friend.

"Of course I'm here. You only _force_ me to come every year. And it's the family ranch. Someone has to supervise you and your devious set of friends." Naya cringed at how loud Lea's voice was. Maybe it's the Broadway thing, but she had never gotten used to it.

"Says the _most _devious one." Lea rolled her eyes before playfully shoving Naya.

Naya chuckled and pushed back.

"I'm just really excited to see you." Lea smiled, obviously pleased. She looked around and inside the car. "Where's Heather?"

"She went in a few minutes ago. Didn't you see her?" Naya stepped back and continued pulling her things out of her SUV.

"Would I ask if I had?"

"Why don't you stop being a smartass and help me with these things?" Naya gestured to the other bags that were still in the backseat.

Lea shrugged and pulled a bag with her.

"I knew Heather was special, but I didn't realize how special she is until now." Lea remarked as the two of them walked towards the main house, carrying a bag each.

"Huh?" Naya grunted at the heaviness of the bag she was carrying.

"Normally, you'd act like a diva and pester people to carry your own shit, but now, you're showing this side of you that I didn't even know existed."

Naya frowned, looking confused.

"You're carrying her things." Lea pointed to the big yellow bag strapped on Naya's shoulder.

"How do you know it's hers?"

"You hate yellow." They had known each other since they could barely walk, so there were really only a few things they didn't know about each other.

"Well, she's my wife. I'd carry her if she wanted to."

Lea laughed good-naturedly.

"What's so funny?"

"You're so in love." The Broadway actress playfully bumped Naya.

"And that's funny because…?" Naya asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm not laughing because it's funny. I'm laughing because it surprises me how different you are now. I've never seen you smile so much before."

"I'm not different." Naya tried to suppress her smile to no avail. Lea was absolutely correct in her observations. She couldn't even remember being in a sour mood in the past week. The past few days with her family and Heather had been so great, it felt like a dream.

"Right. Maybe you're just more comfortable being yourself. You're naturally caring and thoughtful but you always hide it because you always thought it turns you soft."

"I'm still a badass though, right?" Naya grinned.

"Yeah, whatever." Lea grinned back. "Why didn't you introduce Heather to us sooner?" Lea asked curiously. She only met Heather during the wedding. The wedding announcement she watched on TV came as a surprise and she had reservations at the whirlwind romance at first, but as soon as she met the blonde, her doubts immediately vanished.

She was sure that Naya had found the one.

"Were you trying to hide her from us? Afraid we'd tell her things about you that might change her mind?" Lea joked.

"No." Naya chuckled. There wasn't really that much to hide, her being the A-list actress that she was. You could practically google all the dirt that you want to know about her. While most of them were made up, there were some that were actually true.

"Mark said you didn't even mention her when he came to your hotel room in Hawaii."

That certainly knocked the smile off the taller brunette's face. Naya felt her temper rising at the mention of Mark's name. How could she have completely forgotten about the possibility of Mark being here as well?

"They ran into each other at a coffee shop there. He said that was the first time he'd seen Heather."

That was the same day Naya and Heather first met. Naya never really asked Heather how she had met Mark before. Finding out that Heather entered both her and Mark's lives on the same day was sort of strange. Apparently, Mark just figured that they were together at that time. That was a lucky coincidence, and that certainly worked to Naya's advantage.

"Where are the others?" Naya steered the conversation away from Mark. She did notice the cars were fewer than last year. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted Mark's Lexus.

"Cory and Max would be flying in tomorrow. Telly and Meg are stuck in a meeting in L.A., but would be driving here later tonight."

"It's the 30th day of December." Naya frowned. Weren't people supposed to be on vacation on holidays?

"They said it's important."

"And Mark's here? Aren't they business partners or something?" Naya remembered Mark mentioning that during their talk in Hawaii.

"He's the boss. He could pretty much do whatever he wants." Lea shrugged.

Naya scoffed, earning a curious glance from Lea. She didn't say anything, but the idea of egging Mark's car crossed her mind. Maybe she'd do it one of these days.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

"How did you do it?"

The soft voice forced Heather's attention away from her conversation with Vanessa Lengies and Darren Criss as she searched for the person that voice belonged to. Her eyes landed on the charming Dianna Agron, who was smiling widely at her as the other blonde entered the living room to join everyone else.

Heather's nose scrunched up in confusion.

She knew she was going to run into Dianna sooner or later since they were both staying (as well as everyone else) in the Rivera family ranch and she was kind of dreading it. She'd never really hang out with the fashion designer before, and that memory of Naya crying over Dianna stirred that queasy feeling in her stomach.

Heather, who was slumped with her legs crossed on the floor looked over Mark Salling and Chris Colfer opposite her, but they appeared to be just as confused as her.

"What are you talking about?"

"How did you tame grandma?" Dianna stated as if her query was obvious before. She sat on the couch next to Chris, her curious hazel eyes fixed on the blonde writer.

"Tame grandma?" Heather chuckled, along with everyone else.

"Yeah." Dianna shrugged and then snatched a slice of pizza from one of the boxes in the table in front of them.

"Are you guys talking about Maria? She's one scary grandmother." Britt Robertson walked in the living room with a six-pack of Corona and a bottle of red wine and set it on the table. Nickie and Mychal followed with more alcohol.

"One time, she chased me with a stick." Darren turned to Heather, wincing at the memory of Naya's grandmother running after him down the road. He had never run so fast in his life.

"Oh, yeah, I remember that. The look on your face was priceless." Mychal opened a can of Corona and chugged it down.

"Why did she chase you?" Heather couldn't hold back her laughter. Grandma was too old to run after someone now, but she could imagine how funny it must have been.

"He slapped Maria's butt." Vanessa grinned at Heather.

"What!" The blonde writer could feel her stomach hurting already for laughing too much.

"I was 14." Darren raised his hands in surrender, aware that there really was nothing to justify his actions then.

"Darren thought he was being cool." Dianna said, then took a bite of her pizza.

"And then when Naya found out, she almost beat him with his own guitar." Chris added.

Darren was turning red already with embarrassment but he was laughing with them at his own expense.

"What stopped Naya?" Heather asked in curiosity.

"Mark did." Dianna glanced briefly at Mark's direction with an almost shy smile.

Heather caught this.

"I didn't want her to go to jail." Mark barely noticed the look Dianna was giving him as he looked up and smiled at Heather. "I couldn't care less about Darren, though." He joked.

Darren hurled a throw pillow at Mark that he managed to catch.

"And here I thought you were more concerned about my well-being." Darren feigned hurt.

Heather was enjoying the interaction among Naya's friends when she realized the glass of red wine being handed to her. When she turned to look, she was met with Dianna's kind eyes.

"Naya mentioned that you preferred red wine over beer." Dianna smiled.

"Uhm, thanks."

Heather returned the smile, pleased to know that Naya remembered that detail about her.

As to Dianna, well, it's not that she didn't like her. She didn't hate her. Truth is, she had always thought the other blonde was really nice and she couldn't help but feel guilty for not wanting to be in her company. Before this night, they had barely interacted. They did see each other during events when Naya took her. She had been civil, Naya never acted inappropriately with Dianna, and Dianna was obviously of great character. It was just that she felt a pang of jealousy everytime she saw the fashion designer.

Her thoughts went back to Christmas Eve when she met Angela. She felt the same way when it came to Angela Bradford. Then her eyes traveled briefly towards Britt.

It was a bit odd that she never felt that way with Britt, though.

Maybe it's because Angela was Naya's first girlfriend, and Naya almost proposed to Dianna. Britt was just someone in between and their previous relationship had been pretty much public.

"What's your secret, Heather?" Vanessa prodded.

"I'm sure it's the same that she used on Naya." Nickie joked. "I'm not sure if you already know this, but I couldn't remember grandma liking any of the girls Naya previously dated."

"True. I dated Naya. Her family had known me since I was a kid, but grandma never trusted me with her. The few times we came over for dinner, she watched me like a hawk." Britt chuckled at the memory.

"Well, I wouldn't trust you either, Britt." Mychal joked.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" This time, it was Britt who threw a pillow at Mychal.

"Can you guys please stop that?" Dianna chastised both Mychal and Britt with a look. Britt just rolled her eyes and Mychal just shrugged.

"I've no secrets. I swear." Heather felt good hearing those things.

"But you're grandma's favorite grandchild now. I'm jealous." Mychal feigned envy, but failed to suppress the grin on his face.

"Mom said she gushed about you to everyone who would listen. You must have done something really impressive." Dianna continued.

"She's just lovable as she is." Naya said as she entered the living room with Lea in tow. She smiled at everyone, but completely ignored Mark.

Heather noticed this as well.

"She's a legend. That's what she is." Chris lifted his bottle of Corona to toast with Heather. The blonde writer obliged as she lifted her glass of red wine.

Without bothering to find any other place to sit, Naya knelt down and nudge Heather's legs. The blonde looked at her inquisitively.

"Move over, babe. You can lean against me." Naya gestured for Heather to move so she could sit behind her. But Heather wasn't about to.

"But I'm comfortable here. Why don't _you_ sit in front of me? I'd keep you warm." Heather smiled, looking bashful. She motioned Naya to sit between her legs as she uncrossed them.

"Maybe you should fight about who's going to top the other later?" Lea rolled her eyes at Naya.

Heather and Naya visibly turned red.

"Oh, you guys are so cute. I can't believe you still get flustered with the sex jokes." Chris snickered.

"Aww, you two are acting like you've never even seen each other naked before. You have, right?" Nickayla joked, raising an eyebrow at her sister.

"What? Of course! We've seen each other naked. We see each other naked all the time!" Naya squeaked defensively, causing everyone, even Heather, to laugh.

Mark sat awkwardly opposite them, avoiding eye contact. He took a huge gulp from his can of beer.

To avoid further teasing, Naya took the space between her wife's legs and sat, making herself comfortable as she leaned back against Heather. She

"Honey, I'm beat." Naya whined.

"You did nothing but sleep all day." Heather's chuckled, her arms finding its place around Naya's waist.

"You were chasing me in my dream." The brunette placed her hands on top of Heather's, her fingertips rubbing the back of Heather's hands.

"Did I catch you?" The blonde pulled her wife closer to her.

"I wish." Naya smiled, intertwining her left hand with Heather's.

The two of them were so lost in their own private world that they didn't realize everyone's attention on them, watching them like a movie.

"Baby, are you hungry? They got pizza."

"Slightly hungry, but I can barely move. I did carry your bags. Why are they so heavy?" Naya lifted her left hand started wiggling her fingers.

Heather grabbed Naya's hand and pulled it to her lips, kissing the back of it.

"I'm sorry. You insisted."

"I know."

"Come on, I'll feed you." Heather reached for a slice of pizza from the box without untangling herself from her wife.

"You two are so disgustingly cute." Lea commented as she was munching her food.

"Newlyweds." Darren shrugged, then gulping his bottle of beer.

"Shut up, Lea. I never complained when you were trying to get cozy with Monteith in front of me back in the day. Leave us alone." Naya playfully glared at Lea who just laughed. When she looked at Heather's hands, she found her wife picking the olives off the pizza.

Naya hated olives.

She didn't even know that Heather noticed.

"Have you guys seen Max's baby? He tweeted a picture a week ago. She's such a doll." Nickie cooed as she remembered Max's newborn daughter, Lindsey.

"I've seen it. And guess who's going to be the godmother?" Vanessa fist pumped in the air.

"What? You're godmother? Why?" Britt frowned at Vanessa.

"Shut up, Britt. Don't hate on me because I'm awesome."

"He said we could come see her daughter at his parents' house tomorrow before the party." Chris informed his friends.

"That would be nice." Darren said. His attention was in the conversation but his eyes were focused curiously at Mark who was sitting anxiously.

"How about you two, when are you having a baby?" Dianna asked Heather and Naya.

"What's with all these baby craze?" Heather asked amused. She was still holding the slice of pizza in her hand, halfway done feeding her wife. If she was asked this question two weeks ago, she would have been embarrassed. But they were way past the most awkward stage when they had to break it to the Riveras that it was a 'false alarm'.

While Naya enjoyed imagining little Andres and Sofia, she didn't look slightly amused as her fierce gaze locked on Mark, catching him looking at her wife.

Heather felt Naya's hand squeeze hers tighter.

"I'm surprised Mark hadn't told you." Naya did not even bother to mask her biting tone.

"You're pregnant?" Chris' tone was a mix of excitement and disbelief.

Naya briefly pondered what to say next. If she had a choice, she'd let Mark continue believing that Heather was pregnant. Somehow, that gave her some sort of satisfaction and relief. But she also knew that she couldn't keep lying about that.

"We thought Heather was." The actress answered cautiously, her eyes turned suspiciously at Mark. Mark may have averted his eyes away, but Naya knew that he was all ears.

She continued.

"But as it turned out, it was false alarm. Before we could confirm it, _someone_ here thought it was a good idea to tell grandma." Naya was now glaring at Mark.

Dianna picked up the tension between her friends. She tried to break it.

"So, you guys are trying?" The designer asked.

"Well, we're putting off our baby plans for a while. One baby is enough for now. Right, _baby_?" Heather beamed. Her arms wrapped even tighter around Naya as she gave the brunette a lingering kiss on the side of her forehead. "The next one's got to wait a few years." .

"Oh, Naya's a baby, alright." Lea joked.

Naya stuck her tongue out. Lea just gave her the finger.

"So, how did Naya propose?" Vanessa nudged Heather.

"Why does everyone always assume that I'm the one to propose?"

"Well, aren't you?" Dianna quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but-"

"You're obviously the whipped one in this relationship, so it's not really that hard to figure out, sis." Nickie leaned closer and gave her sister a patronizing tap on the shoulder.

"Fuck, Mychal!"

"What!" Mychal almost sputtered his beer out.

"Did you tell them that Disneyland incident again?" Naya glared at her brother. She had no other suspect since it was also Mychal who told grandma and her parents.

"What happened in Disneyland?" Dianna eyed Naya.

_Shit. _

Naya literally facepalmed. She just set herself for a fall. Mychal, Nickie and Heather were laughing. Naya felt the burning of her cheeks.

"Whatever. Sweetheart, why not just tell them how I made a fool of myself in front of you?"

"Me?" Heather was surprised.

"Yeah. Tell them how I proposed."

They had never talked about the story that they'd tell if anyone asked how she proposed. At their press conference, they basically just told everyone that they were soulmates and nobody prodded any further. But these are Naya's friends. They'd want details. Surely, Heather could come up with a proposal story. Naya was sure Heather had dreamed of being proposed to. She was interested to know how Heather would have wanted it.

"It's really not that grand." Heather tried to get out of it, but Naya's friends were listening eagerly.

"Come on Heather, don't leave us hanging." Vanessa pouted.

"It's fine, babe. Just tell them." Naya encouraged.

Heather was on spotlight.

She wasn't going to be cliché and weave a story about a romantic candlelit dinner. Naya did that with Dianna. That thought alone cause a sting in her heart. If she was going to make up a proposal story, she was at least going to make it her own.

Heather just decided to tell them how she imagined herself proposing.

Yes, maybe she did dream of proposing to Naya once.

Or twice.

But realistically speaking, she'd been imagining it almost everyday now.

And the way she imagined the events leading to it wasn't that wholesome.

Heather cleared her throat.

She'd just give them the edited version.

"Well, uhm… we were in bed…" Heather trailed off as she felt Naya tensed in her arms.

Maybe she should have thought of another proposal story, but she couldn't really come up with anything right out of thin air. She felt pressured with everyone staring at her in anticipation. Heather just went straight to the story that she'd been picturing these past few days with Naya.

It only took a few seconds and Naya started to relax. Tanned hand squeezed Heather's again, prompting her to continue.

"We had just spent our first night in Hawaii. I woke up the next morning in Naya's arms. She was staring at me with those soul-penetrating eyes. I don't know how long but, we were just there lying in bed."

Heather paused with her storytelling when Naya pulled back a little and turned her head to look at her. Brown eyes glimmered with awe as she stared back at Heather.

"And then out of nowhere she was holding that little red box. She asked me a question, but I was too shocked, I didn't really hear her."

Heather heard snickering around her but she wasn't really paying that much attention. She was too entranced by Naya to notice.

"So I asked her again…" Naya continued what Heather was saying.

The story was up to her now.

"Well, that was after I rambled and stuttered explaining to her why she should give me a chance. I'm sure I didn't even make sense. Hemo looked so confused, and I was losing all my confidence, so before I faint, I managed to ask her again." Naya smiled. "I asked her if she'd marry me, but I didn't get an answer right away because all of a sudden, she was kissing me, and then we were making out. She would have ripped my clothes off, _if I was wearing any_. Not that I was complaining." Naya grinned seeing Heather's ears turning red in embarrassment.

Oh, Naya was enjoying this far too much.

Mark sat uncomfortable as he listened. Fortunately, there wasn't anyone paying him attention. All he wanted was to get out of there, but realized that he couldn't do that without being noticed.

Heather's amused smile persuaded her to continue.

"I got my answer eventually. It took a few hours but like I said. Not that I was complaining." Naya shifted her body so she could look at Heather's face more closely. "Then I told you that I love you."

Naya felt her heart hammering against her chest. Why did it feel like a confession? Why was she scared to see the undecipherable expression on Heather's face? She wasn't sure if she was expecting an answer or if she was ready to hear it. Maybe she shouldn't have said that. She didn't even know what possessed her to add that one last bit, but it was too late to take it now.

Needless to say, she was relieved when thin red lips formed into a smile.

"And I told you that I love you too." Heather said, blue eyes flickering down to Naya's lips. She felt that pull again; the one that she felt everytime Naya was near. She'd given in to that pull a lot of times lately.

Today wasn't an exception.

Heather closed the little distance between them and captured Naya's lips for a kiss.

Mark snapped his eyes away.

Dianna stared dreamily at them.

Nickie and Mychal were used to them being all lovey-dovey, and the rest just stared open-mouthed. They just weren't used to seeing Naya like this.

"That's kind of sexy." Vanessa managed to say when she finally got out of her trance.

"Yeah, it is." Darren said, more like breathe, as he continued staring at Heather and Naya with his jaw on the floor.

By this time, Naya had resumed her comfortable position in front of her wife.

"I meant the proposal, dumbass." Vanessa growled at Darren.

"Aside from Naya's sexy proposal, why did you say yes? She's obviously a pain in the ass." Lea teased.

"Quit the interrogation, guys. That's not going to work. She already married me." Naya proudly said, a smug look plastered on her face.

"I still don't know how you got Heather to say yes." Lea feigned seriousness.

"Hey! Shut it Big Bird and keep your big nose out of my business." Naya snarled at her friend.

"You did not just call me that!" Lea screamed indignant.

"Big Bird?" Heather's eyes darted first towards Mark, but he was avoiding eye contact which confused her. Her eyes then turned to Chris.

"Yeah, they always tease each other and you'd never believe what kind of words they come up with." Chris was shaking his head in mix disbelief and amusement. Lea and Naya were close, but sometimes they just couldn't help but bicker at each other.

"You better stop messing with me or I'll spill. Heather obviously didn't know half the dirt about you, or she wouldn't have said yes." Lea pointed playfully at Naya's direction.

"I don't agree with you on that point Lea." Dianna butted in. She demurely took a sip on her glass of wine, watching Naya and Heather through the lid.

"I was joking with that one, but really?" The Broadway actress puckered her eyebrows.

"They're soulmates." Dianna stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Heather's heart skipped a beat hearing that from Dianna. Naya looked expectantly at her bestfriend, waiting for her to continue.

"Naya's not perfect, but that didn't matter."

"I thought you were defending me, Di?"

"Let me finish. No one's perfect anyway. You weren't called Hollywood's most notorious playgirl for no reason. It's a fact. You had your indiscretions, but you know that I think?"

"What?" Naya asked curiously.

"I think there's a reason for everything. I think that you couldn't find happiness and contentment in your previous relationships that is why you kept jumping into the next one. That's because you didn't have Heather in your life yet, because your past relationships weren't with Heather. And look at you now. You found her. You found your soulmate and all of a sudden, you're this different person; a better one. And you know what? I like it." Dianna smiled at Naya, before turning to Heather. She then raised her glass of wine to the blonde.

Returning the smile, Heather lifted her own glass of wine and nodded at Dianna.

"So, who wants shots?" Mychal stood up, looking too excited. He headed to the bar not so far away from them where their parents kept their alcohol.

"I can't. I've got to take care of setting up tomorrow morning." Lea droned. She wanted a drink but she was sort of a perfectionist so she had to be in perfect shape with no hang over the next day. This was her annual party and wanted everything to be in order.

"Who did you invite?" Vanessa asked.

"You know. Same old people from highschool." Lea and everyone else went to the only coed private highschool in Valencia.

"Ooh, is Jessica coming?" Darren looked thrilled at the news.

"Still not over your highschool crush, I see." Chris teased.

"I heard she's engaged." Britt grinned, looking devious. Darren narrowed his eyes at his friend, waiting for her to continue. "To her girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Darren's eyes widened.

"You didn't know you were crushing on a lesbian?" Britt laughed at the priceless look on the musician's face. She ran into Jessica in one of the famous lesbian bars in West Hollywood.

"Obviously not. Since when did she play for your team? Naya, don't tell me you turned her as well." Darren turned an accusing look at the actress.

"Dude, I didn't even have to. Jessica Sammler screamed rainbows even before I realized I was gay in highschool. You didn't notice the way she acted with Katie Singer?" Naya sounded patronizing but looking sympathetic.

"Katie Singer?" Darren tried to recall where he had heard that name before.

"They were attached to the hip back then." Nickie said.

Mark had completely zoned out in the whole conversation. Heather was concerned, but didn't say anything. She was waiting for him to look up, but never did he turn his eyes to her direction again.

"Well, apparently, their hips are still attached. Jessica's engaged to Katie." Britt shrugged.

"Damn it. Why are all the hot girls gay and taken? It's hot but it's also unfortunate for me." Darren looked truly disappointed.

"You know what you should do? You should get drunk." Mychal came back with a bottle of tequila, a plate of sliced lemons, and a salt shaker. He poured some on a shot glass and handed it to Darren.

"Thanks, man. Here's to you." Darren turned to Heather and Naya. "To the hot and unavailable girls that I never had a chance with."

"Cheers!" Heather giggled as he bumped her glass of wine with Darren's shot glass. Naya then snatched the glass from Heather and sipped from it.

"How about a shot, sister-in-law?"

"Why not?" Heather accepted the shot glass while Naya reached for the salt shaker and a slice of lemon.

Naya shifted on her seat again so she was half-facing her wife. The brunette pulled her hair to the other side, exposing the side of her neck. She then placed the slice of lemon in between her lips and handed the salt shaker to Heather.

Heather looked quizzical.

Naya just wiggled her eyebrows.

Heather snorted. Her cheeks reddened as she opened the salt shaker and poured some on the cranny of the right side of Naya's neck. She then looked up at her wife, and when Naya nodded, she tilted her head. Her tongue shot out, sweeping the salt that was on Naya's skin. The blonde heard the faint gasp that escaped her wife's mouth. She then knocked back the shot of tequila, and leaned closer to grab the slice of lemon from Naya.

Heather's tongue brushed with Naya's lower lip, causing a shudder on both their parts.

When Heather pulled back, her gaze held Naya's.

"Sis?" Mychal called for the second time but didn't get a reaction from his sister.

He just had to roll his eyes at that.

"Naya!"

Naya jerked at the sound of her brother's voice.

"What?" She snapped at him in irritation.

"I was asking you if you want a shot as well."

"I'll pass. Once I start, I won't stop, and I don't want to wake up hung over tomorrow." Naya answered.

"And end up in a closet." Lea spilled.

That certainly caught Heather's attention. She didn't see how wide Naya's eyes had gotten at that. The brunette glared at Lea, warning her not to continue.

But it's Lea, and she liked torturing Naya.

"I remember that. Naya got so wasted, she slept in the closet." Vanessa laughed. "How did you even fit with Dianna in there?"

Heather's eyebrow arched up.

Naya could feel her wife's stare at the back of her head.

"You went to the closet with Di? Was that when we were together?" Britt looked at Naya in disbelief. The brunette actress suddenly looked like a deer caught in headlights.

Dianna, instead of defending herself from the implied accusation, just watched in amusement. It was definitely entertaining to see Naya scrambling for words to say. She usually had a vocabulary full of vicious, vicious words, but with Heather in the same room, she couldn't even explain.

"Oh, uh..." The brunette stuttered, which was a very rare thing. Why did Lea have to call their attention to that particular event that happened a long time ago? She did spend some time in the closet, literally, with Dianna, but they were drunk and while dirty thoughts were running through her head at that time, nothing actually happened because, well, Dianna's straight as a ruler and had always set her eyes on Mark.

"When did that happen?" Britt could not help her curiosity.

"Nothing happened! We just... we were supposed to stay there a bit."

"In the closet?" Heather asked to confirm.

"Honey, we were drunk." Naya tried to justify, but Heather did not say anything more. She found her friends' eyes on her. "Stop looking at me like I did something horrible. Chris was there!"

"For a short moment. I left because I was feeling claustrophobic." Chris cleared.

"Well, did you do anything?" Darren grinned at Naya.

"Shut it, Criss." Naya rolled her eyes.

"You're incorrigible." Britt threw a pillow at Naya who caught it in time before it hit her in the face. "Was that when we were dating?" She asked again.

"Britt, nothing happened and it's a long time ago so don't act all jealous now."

"Uhm, I'm tired so, I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow." Heather squeezed herself out from behind Naya. She kissed the brunette on top of her head but left the family room without so much of a word.

Naya watched her wife walk away.

When she turned her attention back to her friends, she found Mark staring at the direction where Heather had disappeared.

Brown eyes narrowed dangerously at him.

Probably feeling the stare, Mark's eyes met Naya's. The brunette actress made sure that Mark would know what she was trying to say with the glare she was throwing his way.

Mark was the first to avert his gaze.

Naya then shifted her attention to Lea.

"Great, Lea. Now my wife's mad at me. Why did you have to bring that up?" Naya groaned.

"Heather isn't mad, Naya. She's just tired. Don't be so paranoid." Nickie grumbled.

"She's _my_ wife. I know when she's mad or not." Naya looked up at Dianna. "And you, you're my bestfriend. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Well, I didn't do anything wrong, so I didn't see the need to defend myself. And besides, it's entertaining to see you fumble like a bumbling idiot." Dianna teased.

"Ugh, you're not my friends. Next year, I'm cutting you all from my life." Naya pouted as she leaned against the cold side of the couch.

"You said that last year." Vanessa said.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Naya had been in bed since two hours ago, and still she couldn't sleep. The noise in the house had died down. Her friends probably got tired of watching the Survivor rerun and went to bed as well. Heather, on the other hand, was not in the bedroom when Naya decided to call it a night. She wondered where her wife was. The reaction that Heather had over that closet encounter with Dianna was unexpected. It's a strange reaction, but it was cute. Naya didn't realize that a smile formed in her face just by thinking about it.

Could it be that Heather was still pissed and didn't want to share the room with her?

_Why would she be?_

Naya thought, more to convince herself than anyone else. The brunette got up from the bed and went out of the room. Maybe a bottle of beer would help with her sleeping problem. While she was busy wandering around their house for alcohol, she found a very busy Heather Morris in the dining room with her laptop, a notebook, a pen and a cup of now cold coffee.

"Sweetheart?" Naya didn't realize that lately, she'd been calling Heather with pet names even when they were alone. "You've been here all this time?"

Heather did not notice Naya's presence until the brunette's voice broke the silence and her thoughts. She lifted her gaze from the screen to Naya, and smiled.

"I didn't realize you're still awake." Heather motioned to the adjacent chair, gesturing for Naya to sit down.

Naya smiled back and slowly walked towards her. Sitting down, Naya rested her head on her right hand, pouting cutely at Heather.

"Why are you still awake at this time in the-" Naya caught a glance of the grandfather clock. "-morning?"

"I can't sleep. And I got inspired to write, so…"

Heather fell silent.

"I thought you were purposely avoiding me." Naya's voice sounded so small.

"Why would you think that?"

"Uh, your reaction with that thing with Di and the way you walked out on me and my friends?"

"What you did with Dianna is not my business." Heather casually replied but that actually hurt inside.

"Babe…" Naya reached for Heather's hand and held it in hers.

"I shouldn't even pry."

"I told you, I _didn't_ do anything with Dianna. Chris can confirm that. Do you want me to call him now?"

"Why are you explaining this to me?"

"Because _you're_ my wife. You shouldn't be surprised with things like this, so tomorrow, I'm writing down every moment in my life that would be significant to you, and I'm also listing the names of all of my exes. Although I'm warning you, the list would be more like a book." Naya pondered for a moment before continuing. "We could get it published and it would be called 'The Idiots Guide for Hollywood's Most Notorious Playgirl Who Found Her Soulmate'."

Heather giggled.

"Sounds catchy, right? I wonder what Kevin would think of it. We could get millions from it." Naya smiled.

The blonde remained sitting silently though. She was running her long fingers on top of her keyboard but she wasn't really typing. She was just listening.

"Are you jealous of Dianna?" Naya joked.

Heather's head snapped towards Naya's direction.

"What? No." The blonde shook her head frantically.

"Come on, admit it. You're jealous. Look, your eyes are turning green." Naya pointed at Heather's face and playfully poked the writer in the arm. Heather swatted Naya's hand away.

"Mature, Naya. Really mature." Heather glared at the actress who was not even a bit perturbed by the warning message that she was trying to get across.

"If you want to go to the closet with me, all you have to do is ask." Naya winked at Heather, who simply rolled her eyes at the brunette's attempt to sleep with her.

"No, I don't want to go to the closet with you." Heather replied, giving Naya an 'in-your-dreams' kind of look.

"It was a joke."

Naya pulled Heather's hand that she was still holding closer to her chest.

"I'm not going to drag you in a closet on our first time. You're special to me, Hemo. You deserve better." Naya sounded sincere.

Silence befell them again. But despite her blushing, Heather eventually spoke.

"And who says there's going to be a first time?" The blonde asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Who wouldn't want all up on this?" Naya joked as she pointed to herself.

Heather shook her head in amusement. She pulled her right hand from Naya's grasp and picked up her pen. She wrote something on a piece of post-it note, pulled it from the pad, and stuck it on the side of her laptop.

"Do you flirt with everyone wearing a skirt?"

"I never flirted with Lea. And I would never, even if I was single. So, no. Not everyone." Naya said as a matter-of-fact.

"You are unbelievable."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Naya grinned.

"It's not."

"You're so cute when you're annoyed." Naya laughed. Heather was normally patient and rarely got angry except when she provoked her, but Naya, knowing how annoying herself could be and enjoying just doing that to Heather, Naya made sure to do so every chance she got.

But Heather Morris wasn't just cute. She was also sexy, lovely, adorable, stunning, breathtaking.

"Seriously Naya, I need you to shut up." Heather looked up at Naya again, with that trademark stoic look of hers which automatically shut Naya up. The writer was not joking around anymore.

So, Naya sat there, in silence, and listened to the sound of pen scribbling on paper as Heather started making more notes. She even made sure she wouldn't distract Heather with the sound of her breathing.

"Stop staring at me."

"Honey…" Naya called.

"What?"

"Your eyes are so beautiful. Have I ever told you that?" Naya's head was on the table, turned on the side where Heather was sitting.

Heather didn't meet her eyes, but she smiled.

"Are you trying to sweet-talk me, _hot lips_?" Heather joked.

"Did you just call me 'hot lips'?"

"No, it's probably just your imagination." Heather chuckled. "You should go to bed, babe." Heather said without throwing a look at Naya's direction.

"I'm not sleepy."

Naya pulled her chair closer to Heather.

"Can I just stay here and watch you?"

"Watch me?"

"So I could keep you company, fix your coffee, make sure that you don't fall asleep on the table. Maybe I could teach you how to ride Shazam tomorrow." Shazam was Naya's horse. She had talked about Shazam with Heather before. Heather said she hadn't tried horseback riding and hoped that Naya would teach her. It was one of Naya's expensive hobbies when she was younger.

Naya refused. Shazam was a dark-colored Thoroughbred and he was really huge. While she was smaller than Heather, she had years of training and riding her horse who also adopted his owner's personality.

Shazam was kind of aloof to new people.

"You didn't want to teach me."

"Yeah, well, people change their mind."

"You change your mind every five seconds."

"I'm sure you'll be the one changing your mind when you see my horse tomorrow." Naya could already imagine Heather backing out when she got her first glimpse of how big Shazam was.

"Whatever you say, babe. Are you sure you want to stay here? I'm not going to carry you to bed if you fall asleep on the table."

"I'm fine. Just shut up and write, why can't you?" Naya mocked her wife, who just snorted in return. She had no idea how long Heather intended to stay in the dining room.

She didn't stay awake long enough to find out.

Heather threw a glance at her wife's direction and did a double take; Naya was already slumped on the table, sleeping soundly, and it had only been thirty minutes. Just what Heather expected.

She shook her head, smiling.

At six in the morning, Heather was still there, and Naya was still asleep. Heather pushed the laptop further into the table and stretched her arms and legs, and craned her neck from side to side. She didn't notice the time. It was only when she saw the first rays of sunlight hit the dining room window that she realized it was almost daytime. From the window, she then turned her head to Naya's direction. Naya, apparently, had not moved. She was still slumped on a stack of Heather's post-it notes.

Heather leaned back in relaxation. Her eyes drifted and rested at the sight of the actress. Naya's brunette hair was all over the table, but they did not block Naya's face. Just as what she had been doing often in the recent days, Heather stared. Her blue eyes lingered on Naya's face which was very small, very girlish. And then there were her lips.

Naya had full red lips that always felt so good against her own.

The sound of footsteps broke her trance.

"Hey..." Lea walked into the dining room, still yawning.

"Good morning, Lea." Heather grabbed one of the notes in front of her and pretended to be really busy going over the notes she had previously written.

"Pulled an all-nighter?"

"Yup. Couldn't really sleep."

Lea's eyes wandered at Naya's direction. "Why is she sleeping here?"

"She can't sleep without me."

"Awww…"

Want some coffee?" Heather got up from the chair and headed to the coffee maker not so far from them.

"Yes, please." Lea took the chair on the other side of Naya as she watched Heather pour her a cup. She then shifted her gaze back to Naya and narrowed her eyes at the brunette as a mischievous idea formed in her head.

"Why are you up so early?" Heather inquired.

"Just so I could do this." Lea grinned.

Heather turned her head just as Lea moved closer to Naya, leaned down and stopped near the latter's left ear, and before Heather could stop the Broadway star, Lea had already blew into Naya's ear which jolted the actress from her sleep, her head hitting Lea. The collision caused Naya to fall from her chair and Lea fell on her ass on the floor because of the headbutt which she did not anticipate to avoid.

Now wide awake, Naya groaned in pain, clutching the back of her head. On the other hand, Lea was also grunting and clutching her nose, which luckily did not break, but was hurting so bad.

"Owww..."

"What the fuck, Lea!" Naya growled at Lea upon seeing her. Both were on the floor now.

Grudgingly, Lea got up from the floor and did not bother to help Naya. Naya winced at the pain that she still feels in her head.

"Wow Lea, you're a bit slow." Heather laughed at the scene before her.

Lea's eyes flashed dangerously at Naya's direction.

"You almost broke my nose!"

"Are you for real? You're blaming this on me? I thought I was getting attacked!"

"You..."

"What, Big Bird?" Naya jumped back into her feet, rubbing the back of her head.

"I told you to stop calling me Big Bird, Sandbags!"

"Pinnochio!"

"Angry Bird!"

And Heather stood there watching in amusement as the two yelled at each other their terms of 'endearment'. It was a really funny scene and she was tempted to record it, but she didn't want to miss any moment of it so she stayed there, forgetting that the cup of coffee she was holding was supposed to be Lea's as she started drinking it.

Meg walked in the dining room, looking very annoyed. The filmmaker arrived with Telly late the other night. She walked passed by the two arguing and joined Heather, who let Meg drink from the same cup. It didn't take long before roommates Britt and Chris also came in, the latter scratching his head and looking in disbelief as Naya and Lea did not seem to run out of names to call each other.

"This is what woke me at this time in the morning? Unbelievable." Meg wanted nothing but to slap both Naya and Lea back to their senses. She barely slept and these two idiots just had to wake her up.

"I can't believe I dated her." Britt watched with her arms crossed.

"Thank God Nickie is a heavy sleeper. Or else, she'd seriously kick both of their butts." Chris remarked, and continued. "They sound like an old married couple."

"Really? Geez, that does not make me want to get old AND married." Britt shuddered at the thought.

"You know what? I'm going to get some sleep." Heather said when she finally felt her exhaustion from a long night of writing.

"Not gonna stay for the finale of this early morning entertainment? I feel like I actually directed this." Meg laughed.

"I've heard enough for one day, and it's barely 7 a.m.. See you guys at lunch. And please make sure that Lea keeps the injuries away from my wife's lips. I love those too much." Heather walked towards the door.

"Can you make them stop? These idiots are starting to give me a headache, and you know me and my headaches, it turns me into Naya." Britt said as a matter of fact.

"You make Naya sound like she needs anger management." Chris said.

Heather turned her attention back to her wife and her friend. It looked like they didn't really care what time it was, and it didn't look like they were stopping anytime soon. She contemplated for a while. Deciding that she couldn't sleep without her new 'teddy bear', Heather called out Naya.

"Naya, let's go."

Naya probably did not hear her because she was still busy taunting Lea.

Heather raised an eyebrow in disbelief. These two had enough energy to power an entire country.

"Naya..."

"Big Bird Big Bird Big Bird-" Naya jeered at Lea.

"Honey?"

Naya stopped at Heather's sweet voice. It was only then that she and Lea finally realized they weren't the only ones in the dining room anymore. Lea felt embarrassed upon seeing her friends watching them.

"Huh?" Naya looked confused.

"Are you coming?"

"Uh, where?"

"We're going to get some sleep." Heather left the room without saying another word, and Naya followed her.

Meg, Britt, Chris and Lea watched in astonishment.

"What just happened?" Meg couldn't believe her eyes. Naya followed Heather without any question. Sure they were married, but she had never seen her friend like that before.

"She finally found the one she can't say no to." Lea said.

"Wow. I've never seen Naya so whipped." Britt was amused.

"I know, right?" Chris chuckled.

When Lea turned her attention to her friends, she groaned at the funny looks they were giving her.

"Really mature, Lea." Chris commented.

Meanwhile, Heather and Naya were passing by the living room when the brunette grabbed the writer's hand, stopping her in the process. Heather turned inquisitively at her wife.

"Babe, I can't make it to the bedroom. Let's crash on the couch." Naya was already pulling the blonde to the dark brown couch before she even replied.

"You want to sleep on the couch?" Heather frowned.

"It's big enough for us. Come on." The actress lay down, making sure to leave some space for Heather. She arranged some throw pillows for both of them and gestured for Heather to lay down with her.

"But-" Heather was unable to finish her sentence as the brunette pulled her down.

"I'll hold you." Naya assured her with a smile.

Heather, without making any protest, scooted next to Naya.

The couch was wide enough, but to not fall, you shouldn't move. Naya tucked her right arm underneath Heather's neck, and her right hand rested on the blonde's shoulder. Her other arm was wrapped protectively on Heather's waist to keep her from falling.

Heather was lying half on top of Naya, so her right hand had nowhere to go but rest on top of Naya's stomach. Instead of feeling awkward, she felt comfortable.

They lay in silence for a few moments, enjoying the feel of each other. Naya's breathing was steady but Heather could tell her wife was still awake.

"You smell nice." Heather murmured as she buried her face on the crook of Naya's neck.

The actress giggled as the warm breath tickled her. She slightly turned her head and sniffed blonde hair.

"You smell nicer. Go to sleep, sweetheart." Naya kissed Heather on top of her head and closed her eyes.

It didn't take long for both of them to drift into dreamland.

An hour later, Mark passed by the living room and saw them in the exact same position as when they fell asleep.

A deep sigh escaped his lips.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Heather jumped and cheered for Naya as her wife scored a goal.

They were outside that afternoon with some of Naya's friends and Mychal, playing soccer on the field to kill some time before the party that night. Cory Monteith and Max Adler arrived just after she and Naya woke up during lunch time.

Naya had Max, Vanessa, Darren and Britt on her team. The opposing team had Cory, Meg, Telly, Mychal and Mark. Lea, Dianna, Nickie and Chris were still setting up the party tent in front of the main house. Heather had never played soccer before so she stayed on the sidelines.

Blue eyes followed the small Latina as she ran after Telly. Telly barely had control of the soccer ball and before he could kick it to Meg, Naya managed to steal it and passed it to her teammate, Max.

Heather couldn't help but squeal with pride. Her wife was the smallest in that field. She didn't even know she played any sport, at all. Who would have thought that her wife could outrun and outsmart a guy as huge as Cory in sports? No matter how hard Cory tried to block her, Naya managed to kick the ball past him straight into the goal. The guys were no match with Naya's size, speed and agility.

The blonde grinned. She was acting giddy like a highschool cheerleader cheering on her jock girlfriend.

"Go baby!" Heather screamed.

Naya's head turned. She saw her wife on the sidelines grinning at her. Suddenly feeling overconfident, she plastered a cocky grin and winked at Heather.

The blonde just laughed.

"Do you think I'm desirable?"

Heather was startled by the unexpected presence. When she turned her head, she realized that it was Dianna. She didn't even hear her approach. Heather looked on, confused at the question.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm single. I've been single for a long time, and… I don't know." Dianna shrugged. Her arms were crossed defensively on her chest.

Hazel eyes followed the soccer game as she continued.

"I'm sorry. Am I making you uncomfortable? It's just that I'm sort of jealous of what you have with Naya. She was never good in relationships and yet, she found love with you. If you knew her before, you'd expect her to be married last."

Dianna's voice sounded softer, and somber. It was a complete contrast to how she talked the other night. As Heather looked back, she couldn't really remember a time seeing the designer without that charming smile on her face.

She felt for her.

Heather noticed Dianna staring at Mark's direction.

"So near, yet so far, huh?"

Dianna turned a curious look at Heather.

"Naya may have mentioned something about it."

Dianna sighed.

"Maybe you should open your doors, explore other possibilities. I'm sure there are a lot of guys out there waiting in line for you. You're just too busy to notice them."

"Thanks. That actually makes me feel better." Dianna smiled, but it barely reached her eyes.

There was a pause.

Dianna looked and sounded sad. If she was Jenna, Heather would have hugged her for comfort. But this was Dianna. How exactly were you supposed to console the girl your wife almost married? Dianna was kind, perfect, and clearly had no interest on Naya but still, she stirred that feeling of jealousy on Heather's part.

"But it's easier said than done, especially when you have strong feelings for someone." Dianna shifted her body to face Heather. She looked up to meet blue eyes. "I don't mean to drop this on you. You barely know me."

"It's okay." Heather gave her a genuine smile.

"It's just that… I don't really have anyone to talk to about this. Lea's based in New York. Little Lengies and Britt are usually away filming and Meg and Telly couldn't be bothered considering their new business. And I can't really talk to Naya. She hates Mark enough already."

"You love him, don't you?"

Dianna nodded without hesitation.

"Why?" Heather asked in curiosity.

"Can't help who you fall in love with. Come on, you fell in love with Naya. She's not that easy to get along with."

Heather chuckled.

"Good point."

"Don't hurt her, okay? I don't know if she could take it. She'd never been like this to anyone. You're the first person to ever break her walls." Dianna said in concern.

Before Heather could answer, she felt the soccer ball hit her leg. It wasn't painful, but she turned with a playful glare at the culprit.

It was Mychal.

"I'm sorry!" He smiled bashfully at her.

Mark then ran towards them and kicked the ball back to Mychal.

"Poor aim, brother-in-law!" Heather teased.

Naya then gave her brother a patronizing tap on the back.

"Sorry about that." Mark stood beside Heather, panting as he watched his teammates mess up their game. It was pathetic, really, to have the most athletic guys in their team yet they were the punching bags, figuratively, to the small actress.

The score was 6-2.

It was embarrassing.

"It wasn't your fault." Heather reassured him with a smile.

"Hey, Di." He smiled at Dianna.

Heather almost laughed seeing how flustered Dianna looked.

"Hi." Dianna smiled. This time, it reached her eyes.

"Don't you guys want to play? We could use some help." Mark asked.

"It wouldn't be much help even if Heather and I played for your team. They've got Naya. The game's over even before it began." Dianna joked.

That wasn't just a joke, though.

Contrary to popular belief, Naya wasn't a cheerleader in highschool.

She played for the girls' varsity soccer team.

"That's true." Mark laughed. It was the first time since yesterday that he felt genuinely ecstatic.

"Are you okay?"

Heather's question surprised both Mark and Dianna.

Mark turned to look at her, looking confused.

"You didn't seem like yourself yesterday." Heather said.

Mark shrugged. He wasn't about to tell the blonde writer that he felt uncomfortable seeing her being sweet and cozy with her wife. He was attracted to Heather from the first time he met her in Hawaii. But before he was able to act on it after running into her again in that Vanity Fair party, Heather was already engaged.

To his childhood friend, no less.

Dianna was looking expectantly at him, so was Heather.

"I'm fine. I just had a lot on my mind, that's all."

"Like what?" Dianna asked, a mix of curiosity and concern showing on her face.

"Work." He replied in a dismissive tone. "Owww!" Mark yelped as the soccer ball hit him on the side of his face.

Three heads turned towards the field and found Naya glaring at them.

More like, at Mark.

With her hands on her hips.

"Get your ass back in the game, Salling!"

Dianna could sense her bestfriend's defiance by her stance. She darted her eyes from Naya to Mark and Heather, and then back to Naya.

The Latina looked unrelenting as she stared angrily at Mark.

It was hard to read Mark's expression. He mumbled another apology before running back to the field to join his team. Heather looked like she didn't understand what just happened.

Dianna smirked in amusement.

The game went on and Dianna and Heather shared a comfortable silence. This time, Heather felt at-ease in the designer's company. As the game ended with a 10-5 score (Naya's team won, of course), everybody headed back into the house to get some rest. The New Year's Eve party would be starting in a couple of hours and all of them could use some relaxation.

Heather left for the bathroom and Naya waited for her in the field. Naya had promised she'd let the blonde ride Shazam when she got back.

Naya was lying down on the grass when Dianna joined her.

Both of them stared at the bright blue sky.

"Are you jealous of Mark?"

"What?" Naya frowned.

"You kicked that ball and hit him in the face on purpose." Dianna stated knowingly.

Naya sighed.

"I don't like the way he looks at Hemo."

"So you really are jealous."

"She's my wife."

Dianna pondered for a moment before continuing.

"Maybe he admires her. Heather _is_ beautiful. But he's your friend, Naya. He wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

"He should at least try to be subtle."

There was a pause.

"I'm glad you found her." Dianna smiled.

"Me too… Di?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"What did I do?"

"Just… thanks."

If it weren't for Dianna, she wouldn't have found her way to Heather. She wouldn't have come up with the crazy idea of getting married to a stranger, and she wouldn't have gotten to know Heather.

"Come on. Your wife's excited to ride your monstrous horse today." Dianna got up, and Naya followed.

The actress winced.

"Gosh, that sounds _so_ wrong." Naya chuckled with a grimace.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Naya had left their bedroom to give Heather some time to dress for the party. She was already made up and was wearing a short, strapless, white dress (like that one she wore at her first Maxim party, only of different color). Her long, dark hair cascaded down to her shoulders in big curls.

She was just turning a corner when she almost bumped into Mark. They startled each other and both mouthed an undecipherable 'sorry'. Naya was already walking away, avoiding all awkwardness with Mark, when Mark spoke, stopping her on her tracks.

"What was that about?"

Naya slowly turned around. Mark was standing a few feet from her, looking dapper in his dark pants, blue polo shirt and black jacket.

"You really had to ask? You might want to tone down your leering." Naya warned.

"I'm sorry. But you can't deny that your wife's a bit of an eye candy." Mark sounded nonchalant with his retort.

"I don't really appreciate you talking about my wife like that." Naya felt the anger boiling from within her. She balled her hands into fists, trying to control her rage. Mark hadn't done anything physical to show his attraction to Heather, but the way he looked at her made him so obvious.

And Naya didn't really like the idea of Mark looking at Heather in any context.

The thought didn't sit well with her.

"You can't blame me though. I'm not blind. You don't have to feel insecure about it."

Naya scoffed.

"Me, insecure? _Of you_? I'm the one she's married to. I'm sorry if that makes you feel envious, knowing how pathetic your life is."

Naya knew it was a low jab. Not too long ago, she was just like him that's why they got along so well. She couldn't keep relationships, she had too much one-night stands. She was depressed, but she got good at hiding it. She wanted Dianna then, but right now, she wasn't sure if she would have been as happy with her as she was now, with Heather.

But she just couldn't care less about Mark.

"You're lucky you met her first." Mark spoke.

"What exactly are you trying to say, Salling?" Naya snapped at him.

"Just a piece of advice, don't screw it up." Mark turned around and left before Naya could respond.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Naya found it difficult to quell the anger and Mark caused. Quietly, she entered their bedroom and found Heather standing by the full-length mirror, her face scrunched up as she tried to reached behind her to zip up her short, black dress.

Naya's facial expression softened as she watched the blonde.

"Are you just going to stand there or will you come over here and help me?" Heather asked playfully; her blue eyes looking back at Naya through the mirror.

Naya blushed as she realized she was caught staring. That had been happening a lot lately. Smiling, she walked over to her wife. As she lifted her left hand and replaced Heather's on the zipper, she felt it shaking a bit.

Slowly, she pulled the zipper upwards.

When her fingers brushed against the skin of Heather's back, she took in a huge intake of breath, while Heather stood tensed. Finally zipped up, Naya took a few steps back. The room felt hot all of a sudden and it was strange, considering the cold holiday weather.

"Done." Naya grinned, now able to breathe with the distance.

"Thanks." Heather smiled at her gratefully. She spun around to face her wife.

"You look gorgeous tonight, honey."

"Just tonight?" The blonde asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Naya laughed. She then lifted her right hand, offering it to Heather.

"So, shall we?" The brunette asked.

Heather did not verbalize her answer. She just took the hand that her wife offered, and without saying anything more, they walked out of their bedroom to meet their friends at the party.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Heather was surprised at the huge turn-out of Lea's NYE party.

An hour into the party, she was introduced to too many different people from Naya's highschool than she could remember. Some were Nickie's friends and Mychal even invited his own friends from Baltimore. Lea had friends that came over from New York, and the band that was playing turned out to be Darren's former bandmates. Somewhere along the socializing, Naya got preoccupied with some old friends and Heather found herself wanting space.

Meanwhile, Naya's head snapped away from the person she was talking to when her hand suddenly felt cold. Heather was nowhere to be seen and the brunette felt anxious without the blonde by her side. Excusing herself, she walked around, craning her head to find a glimpse of the writer, and it didn't take long for her to find Heather.

The blonde was standing in the front porch of the main house, isolated from everyone else. Her face was scrunched up in concentration, examining something on her iPhone.

Curious, Naya stealthily approached Heather, making sure not to make any noise. The music blaring from the band playing at the stage in the party tent muffled her footsteps. Behind the blonde, Naya stood on her toes to get a peek.

Heather was checking out a photo on Facebook.

"Since when are you and Little Lengies friends on Facebook?"

The blonde turned in surprise.

"Naya, how long have you been standing there?"

"Not long." Naya reached for Heather's hand holding her iPhone and angled it a bit so she could see.

The actress couldn't even remember being photographed. It was taken yesterday, when she was sitting in front of Heather. They seemed to be talking when Vanessa had taken the picture.

"I love it." Naya said, a smile gracing her lips.

"Me too." Heather admitted.

"We're such a gorgeous couple. Brangelina has nothing on us."

"Who would have thought?"

As Naya lifted her gaze, their eyes met.

Everytime that happened, Naya felt everything around them vanish, leaving just the two of them like nothing else mattered. Although no words were spoken, their eyes spoke volumes.

The band started playing 'Be Your Everything' by Boys Like Girls.

Without saying anything, Heather pulled her wife back to the party tent, in the middle of the crowded dance floor. As they stopped, Naya just stood there, staring at Heather. Amused at the lack of reaction, Heather put her hands on Naya's hips, and Naya tensed, standing immobile.

"We've done this on our wedding before. Come on."

"What?"

"What planet are you from?" Heather grabbed Heather's Naya's hands and lifted it up to her shoulders and wrapped them around her neck. Naya looked flustered.

Heather lead Naya. This was the first time they danced since their wedding. Dancing at that time was fine, they were acting in front of everybody but this, this just felt too intimate. And to Naya's surprise, she really liked it.

"Relax." Heather said, wondering why Naya wasn't at all shy when she held her earlier that morning when they slept in the couch while she stood tensed with her arms wrapped around Heather's shoulders on the dance floor.

"I am relaxed."

"It's just dancing, Naya. Enjoy the moment."

When Naya's eyes locked with Heather's again, she felt so captivated by the intensity that was in there. She felt as if she swallowed her own tongue upon realizing the distance between their faces.

"I had my own share of dances with women." Naya spoke, talking more to herself rather than Hemo. She thought of those times she danced with different women before, trying to remember how it all felt with other people. This dancing with Hemo was so different. She felt so nervous and she could literally hear her heart pounding against her ribcage. They were too close that for a moment, she was worried that Hemo might feel her heart too.

"I have no doubt about that. You probably have danced with all the women in LA already since you are such a player in the gay community there."

"Fine. Make fun of me all you want. I was just trying to say that I those dances had never been as breathtaking as this." Naya playfully rolled her eyes.

Both them looked flustered that they had to look away from each other in embarrassment.

"I'm not making fun of you. But you have to shut up now." Heather said.

"Why?"

"Because this is about to get interesting."

"What do you-"

Naya was way beyond shocked when Heather pulled her closer. She could feel the warmth of Heather's hands on her back, almost as if caressing her. And the feel of the curves of Heather's body in front of her was making her mind go a bit hazy. She felt as if the air was knocked off of her chest.

Their faces were even closer than before, making Naya feel Heather's heavy breathing on her face. She wondered whether it was because Heather was nervous, or if it was because of something else. She also wondered how she was still standing since she had practically stopped breathing from the moment Heather placed her arms around her waist.

Five more slow songs later, Heather was tired. Naya volunteered to get her drinks so Heather sat down on the nearest chair and waited for her wife. It wasn't long before Naya's brother came with his enchanting Rivera charm. Before he even asked, Heather had a clue on what his purpose was.

"You're not going to turn me down just like you did to those poor guys, will you?" Mychal grinned at her.

"Hey, Mychal." Heather smiled.

"So, why don't you get your cute ass off that expensive little chair and dance with me?"

"Nice pick up line, I'm sure all the straight ladies would fall for it."

"If you're not going to dance with your moody wife, why not with her handsome brother, right?" He wiggled his eyebrows, causing Heather to laugh.

"Haha, you're funny, Mychal. Wish granted." The blonde took her brother-in-law's hand and let him pull her back to the dance floor.

Barely half into the song, Mychal spoke.

"My sister always had a thing for beautiful blondes." He said.

Heather did not say anything. That fact was obvious, considering Angela, Britt and Dianna.

"And she married the best one. I like you the most, Heather. Just so you know, you're my favorite sister-in-law."

"I am your _only_ sister-in-law. Probably the only one you'll ever have."

"Hey, you'll never know about Nickayla." Mychal joked.

From the bar, Naya could see her wife dancing with her brother. They were laughing together and the brunette couldn't help but smile at that. Heather had clicked so much with everyone in her family. Her friends also adored the blonde.

Her eyes were forced away from Heather and Mychal when the bartender called her and said that her drinks were ready. As she reached for the two glasses of cocktails, she found Dianna standing next to her, taking shots.

Naya raised an eyebrow. Dianna was the wine kind of girl. Shots weren't her thing.

"Trying to get drunk tonight, baby girl?"

"I just want to welcome the New Year with a bang." Dianna slurred slightly.

"I don't even have any idea what a _bang_ is supposed to be."

Dianna did not answer. Naya looked at her direction and noticed her staring at something. Or someone. When she followed her bestfriend's gaze, she wasn't surprised when her eyes landed on Mark, who was flirting with someone a few feet away.

She felt sympathy as she saw Dianna's eyes. It was obvious that the designer was trying to keep a strong façade but Naya could tell she was breaking inside.

Dianna's heart was breaking for Mark.

"Di."

"Hmm?"

"Why him?" For once, the spite wasn't traceable in Naya's voice.

"You can't choose who you fall in love with. But I don't know. Maybe I'm just stupid." Apparently, Dianna had too much to drink.

"You're not stupid." Naya snatched the shot glass away from Dianna and placed it far away from the blonde. The designer did not protest. "But I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know."

Naya let her eyes travel back to Mark. While she wouldn't openly admit it, she understood him. She _was _him before Heather walked into her life. Jumping from one relationship to another wasn't for the purpose of playing around. Dianna was right. She didn't have Heather at those times in her life. Heather meant something to her more than all of her previously relationships and flings combined.

She loved Dianna, but she wasn't in love with her.

Truth is she was still confused of what being in love meant. She hadn't been in love before so, how as she to tell? Surely, no one had ever made her feel like Heather did.

She had never canceled any photo shoot or guest appearances for anyone before just so she could spend the day lounging around the house with them.

She hadn't let herself suffered through someone's awful cooking before either.

She had never made an effort to pick someone every single day.

She had never postponed rest just to watch someone teach dance.

She had never risked being in a crowded amusement park just to surprise someone on their birthday.

Except for Heather.

The list of 'never-had-I-ever' on Naya's head went longer, but it all ended with the same conclusion.

Except for Heather.

Heather also caused this riot inside her heart every damn time.

If that wasn't love, then she didn't know what is.

"Di?" Naya called her bestfriend again.

"What?"

"Do you really love him?"

"Yes."

And Naya understood. She totally understood why Dianna was wasting all of this time for Mark. She wasn't being stupid. She was being patient.

"Just… don't let him hurt you." Naya said with a look of concern.

It was time to let Dianna go.

Naya had never felt so free.

With that, Naya picked up their drinks and walked towards her wife. She faked a cough, causing both Heather and Mychal's head to turn.

"As much as I admire your efforts to get to know my wife, dear brother, can I take her back now?"

"Sure thing, sis." Mychal smiled as he stepped back.

Heather gladly accepted the glass of drink from Naya and followed her to the front porch of the main house where she had isolated herself a few hours ago. The blonde actually liked being there. They were far from the crowd and it was peaceful and quiet. From there, they could also see the fireworks display from every part of town.

"So, how did my brother convince you to dance with him?"

"He's quite charming."

"Mychal? His ego is bigger than the size of Manhattan."

"You have the same eyes."

"Huh?"

"Sexy, soulful, brown eyes."

Naya gulped her cocktail, unsuccessfully hiding her blushing cheeks.

They both stood in silence enjoying their drinks as they watched the never-ending fireworks display. The band stopped playing. Just as they silently guesses, the countdown to New Year was about to start. The vocalist was saying things that neither of them really cared about.

"It's almost New Year's eve." Naya spun around to face Heather.

"Is that a code for something?"

Naya smiled.

The vocalist then began counting from ten.

The crowd joined from nine.

Heather mouthed the eight.

Naya counted from seven.

Six…

Five…

Four…

Three…

Two…

One.

Naya leaned closer, her lips capturing Heather's. The kiss lasted for a few seconds, their tongues brushing against each other more than once. When they pulled away, Naya kept their forehead pressed together.

"Happy New Year, Mrs. Heather Elizabeth Morris-Rivera."

Hemo was surprised with their surnames, but she liked the sound of it.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

On her search for caffeine early the following morning, Naya found Dianna in the kitchen crying.

"Di, what happened?" Naya rushed to her bestfriend's side.

"I'm fine." Dianna avoided looking at Naya.

But Naya wasn't having any of it.

"Tell me what happened." The brunette was adamant to know.

"I'm going back to bed." Dianna attempted to get away, not really wanting to tell Naya, but her bestfriend was fast to stop her.

Naya grabbed Dianna by the arm, forcing her to turn around.

"I'm not going to stand here and pretend that I don't see my bestfriend hurting, Dianna. You're going to tell me what happened, and you're going to tell me now."

Dianna swallowed. Naya just used that tone on her, and she called her by her full name. The brunette usually just called her Di or baby girl. It only meant one thing.

It meant Dianna should tell her or Naya would pry the information out from someone else.

The designer let out a deep sigh.

She was trapped.

"Naya, please don't-"

"It's Mark, isn't it? He hurt you."

"Nay-"

"What did he do?"

"I don't want to cause any trouble with you. Can you please just leave this alone, Naya?"

"Dianna."

There was that again. That full name.

Dianna looked away. She just couldn't look at her bestfriend's eyes.

Closing her eyes, she confessed.

"He called Heather…"

"What?" Naya's voice raised and Dianna flinched.

"We were… I was in his room. We were making out. He- he called Heather's name." The last part came out like a whisper but Naya heard her perfectly.

Before Dianna could say anything further, Naya was already out of the door. She ran after her.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

At 5 a.m. when the party was long over, Heather woke up to an empty bed.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

At the front porch of the main house where Heather and Naya spent their first New Year together, Mark stood with a cigarette in his hand. He was looking far out, staring at nothing in particular. What happened a few minutes ago with Dianna shouldn't have happened. He knew he shouldn't have let it. Both of them were vulnerable at the moment and he let himself get carried away.

Mark knew he had no one else to blame but himself.

He already hurt Dianna. He regretted hurting her. And he knew Dianna wasn't going to be the only one hurt in this equation. He felt like he had just set the wheels on motion.

Well, he was right.

Still, nothing could have prepared Mark for the fist that came swinging right into his face.


	11. Pride and Prejudice

**AN**: **SR4SC** was right. Shit is about to hit the fan.

I think this is what **acesville **calls **fluffy angst**. I don't even know that exists. Hahahaha.

HeYa is DEFINITELY ENDGAME. I promise to make up for the angst in Chapter 11.

**Quirky, **I've always wanted to reply to your amazing reviews but you're unregistered, so, HI! :-)

And Mark Salling, I do love you, but I needed you to create the conflict between HeYa. ;-)

Again, thanks for the love, **my dear readers**! You never failed to make me smile with your reviews and messages!

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 10<strong>

**PRIDE AND PREJUDICE**

Mark had no idea what hit him.

The fist that made contact with his face felt small, but it was powerful enough to send him tumbling down. The floorboards squeaked as his body hit the wooden porch floor with a loud thud. He rolled in pain; his hands clutching at his nose and groaning as he felt the sticky liquid which no doubt was blood trickling down.

He was still reeling at the force of the punch that caused his vision to blur and head to spin. As he opened his eyes, Mark made out two figures towering at him. He could hear them arguing. After a few seconds, he finally heard them clearly. Dianna was trying to pacify Naya and pulling her away by the arm but seeing that anger fueled Naya, he doubted Dianna could stop her.

Mark should have anticipated it.

_Mark sat by the edge of his bed, his face on his hands. Dianna was picking up the clothes that strewn the floor. Tensed silence permeated the room. It was strange, how the atmosphere was so different than just a few minutes ago. But he uttered one word. No, one name, and as soon as it came out of Mark's mouth, Dianna was forced out of her lust-filled haze._

_When their eyes met, Mark saw the pair of hazel eyes filled with pain, surprise, and disbelief. There might also have been some anger there. He couldn't believe himself. He couldn't believe he called out that name, when he was kissing Dianna. He couldn't believe that he gave in and actually went this far with Dianna. He lasted so many years avoiding anything intimate with the blonde designer, knowing that he'd just hurt her. He knew they were better off as friends. But today, that was exactly what he did. He let himself get carried away and took advantage of Dianna's vulnerability. _

_He was the cause of her pain._

_"Who's Heather?" Dianna's soft voice trembled. She coaxed him to admit which of the girls he dated was the Heather he was referring to. She had a feeling that she already knew her. _

_Dianna was holding back her tears. This situation was embarrassing enough as it was; she had to at least try to preserve some of her dignity._

_Mark did not answer. He just turned his eyes away. He couldn't bear looking at those eyes anymore._

_"Do you have feelings for Heather?" It was clear who Dianna was referring to. She did catch the glances Mark stole from the writer, but she didn't think much of it. She honestly believed that it meant nothing. _

_Until Mark called out Heather's name. _

_Again, he did not respond. He figured it would be better not to. He didn't know what to say. He knew it was wrong to feel something for Heather. But could anyone really blame him? It wasn't intentional. The blonde writer just made him feel things. He didn't even know those kinds of feelings exist before. _

_"Oh my god. She's married, Mark. To our friend! She's Naya's wife!" Dianna was seething now. Mark jumped in surprise. _

_An angry Dianna was a rare sight. _

_"Say something!" She threw Mark's shirt at him. _

_"Naya better not screw it up then." He said._

_Dianna stared at him in disbelief. The tears she had been holding were streaming down her cheeks; her feelings, a mash of everything. _

_"I can't believe this." She shook her head in disappointment. She was disappointed with herself. She was disappointed with Mark. She was disappointed she let herself get carried away by the feelings that blinded her. _

_Dianna turned to leave the room. But before she could reach the door, Mark spoke._

_"I'm sorry…"_

_He sounded sincere. But Dianna didn't care. All she felt was pain and anger. _

_Without another word, she left._

_There was no turning back. _

Naya's sweltering gaze was fixed on Mark. Naya struggled free from the hands that were restraining her, and when she managed to escape from her bestfriend's grasp, Mark closed his eyes, preparing himself for the onslaught of strong punches and vicious words he was sure Naya was intent on giving him.

He really wasn't planning on fighting back.

If Heather was his, he would have done the same thing.

"You son of a-"

"Naya!"

Naya heard her, but she didn't stop nor turn to see who it was. She didn't need to. But she was so furious. She wanted nothing but to bash Mark again, not caring even if her fist hurt. Naya had a temper but this was the worst it had been. She had never been this angry in her life. She was bent down, her fist midair towards Mark's face again when a pair of arms wrapped around her midsection and forcefully yanked her backwards.

"Naya! What are you doing! Stop it, you're hurting him!" Heather yelped.

Naya tried to struggle free but Heather was stronger than her.

"Hemo, let me go…" Naya said, panting from her previous exertion. She tried to calm herself, but her eyes were still fixed on Mark who was slowly getting up. She almost smirked when he stood up and swayed, glad that she was actually able to do some damage.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on here?" Heather tightened her arms around Naya when the brunette didn't stop struggling.

"I said let me go." Naya's voice was more adamant this time.

"I'll let you go if you promise not to beat him again."

"So what if I hurt _him_?" The actress pointed rudely at Mark, speaking with so much venom, it surprised even Dianna. "Why do you care about _him_?"

"I just don't want you to hurt anyone." Heather loosened her hold on Naya, surprised at the tone her wife was giving her.

As soon as Naya was free from Heather's restraint, she stormed down the porch and into the wide field, not really knowing where to go or what to do. She needed air, she needed to calm herself. She needed to be away from everyone else because no one was safe from her fury. Not even Heather.

"Why did you do that? What's going on, Naya?"

Naya didn't even know that Heather followed her.

"I don't want to talk about it." Naya snapped.

Heather quickened her steps to catch up with her wife.

"Why did you hit Mark?" Heather asked.

"Because he fucking deserves it!" Naya wasn't able to hold it back. She stopped walking and faced the blonde.

Heather looked at Naya and studied her. She looked like she was actually going to explode. When she woke up alone in bed, she went to search for Naya, but finding him beating up Mark was the last thing on her mind.

Needless to say, she wanted to know the reason why.

Although truthfully, she was petrified to know.

"He used to be your friend. Why do you hate him so much?" Heather wondered what really changed their dynamics. She was sure they were really close when they were still children. Naya said so herself. Even grandma told her stories about Naya's friendship with Mark.

She knew Dianna caused the rift in their friendship.

_Was she still the cause now?_

Heather's heart ached at the thought.

"Why do you care so much about him?" Naya raised her voice in frustration. This conversation was going to be all about Mark and honestly, she'd had enough of him for the rest of the year.

"You really hurt him. I think you broke his nose."

"Well, I'd fucking break his face next time I see him!"

"He didn't even fight back. Stop acting like a child, Naya."

"Are you seriously taking his side?"

"I'm not taking anyone's side."

"Does he really matter to you?" Naya's voice cracked at that question, but it seemed that Heather didn't notice.

Heather sighed. This conversation was exhausting and it was too early in the morning.

"What's going on with you, Naya?" Heather was concerned.

"Oh, I'm _sorry_. You think this is my fault?" Naya mocked her.

"I didn't even say that."

"Well, you sounded like it!"

"Naya, you're being defensive."

"Defensive? You don't even know what he did!"

"Then tell me! Just tell me!"

Naya did not answer. She was hurt that Heather seemed to be more concerned about Mark and his nose. What, she was hurting too. Her knuckles were sure to bruise in a few hours. She did win in hurting Mark physically, but was he actually winning Heather's sympathy?

It was causing the walls to build up around Naya.

It was her defense mechanism.

"What for? You already think of me as the bad guy. What do you know about Mark? Your asshat of a boss is no saint. He'd do this world a service if he'd just jump out of an airplane without a parachute."

There was a question Heather had been afraid to ask. But she had to.

"Is this about Dianna?"

She did wake up without Naya in bed at 5:00 a.m., and found her supposed wife beating up Mark. Dianna who was in love with Mark, was there. It was Dianna that Naya originally wanted to marry. While Heather's marriage with Naya was based on a contract with an expiration date.

Imagine how it looked like in Hemo's point of view.

"What?"

"She loves Mark, doesn't she?"

"So?"

"You still love her."

"Not in the way you think. She's my bestfriend. That's it."

Heather didn't look like she believed Naya one bit.

The conversation was draining for her. She decided to turn and just leave. But Naya wasn't done.

"So you're acting jealous now? You don't even care about me. You cared more about what I did to Mark's face!"

"You cared more about Dianna than you cared about me!" Heather yelled back. Her mind drifted back to Naya's fishbowl-full of paper cranes, her tons of childhood photographs with Dianna, and that day when Naya forgot their dinner date when she took care of the sick fashion designer.

"If you keep acting like that, I might actually believe that you're falling for me."

Heather swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.

It was as if everything around her was falling apart and all that was left was her pride.

"I'm not."

"Tell me. Tell me how you really feel. Tell me now." Naya demanded.

"I don't have to answer that."

"Well, I demand an answer! I want to know!"

"Don't yell at me! You told me not to fall in love with you!"

Naya felt like a bucket of ice cold water was poured on her. She stared back at Heather whose eyes were brimming with tears. She wanted to reach closer and wipe them away, but she was frozen to where she stood. She couldn't move.

"What?" That came out like a squeak from Naya's lips.

Heather sighed deeply.

"Sometimes I forget that our whole relationship was based on a contract. But I don't care. I don't care anymore."

"What are you saying?"

"This is getting complicated, Naya. Things were simpler when we hated each other."

"But I… I didn't hate you."

"Just… let's just keep in mind that we have a contract. Maybe we should… I think we should tone everything down and keep our distance. It works." Before the tears started falling from Heather's eyes, she had turned her back and walked her way back to the main house.

It took a few seconds for Naya to recover from her shock.

Why did it feel like goodbye?

Her eyes snapped to Heather's retreating figure. She sprinted after her.

"Fine! Fine, walk away from me. Are you sure this isn't just an excuse for you to spend more time with Mark? So you could give him hope? If he's your fucking knight and shining armor, why don't you marry him then? I don't care anymore either because you mean nothing to me anyway." It was a defensive thing for Naya to say, a way to soothe her bruised ego. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she immediately knew it was a mistake.

Heather stopped from walking but did not turn around.

It hurt.

It hurt _so _much to hear that you meant nothing to someone. Especially when that someone was starting to become your whole world.

"Hemo, I didn't…" Naya's jaw hit the ground.

_"Naya has a temper but has a good heart. Sometimes, when she's angry, she says things that she doesn't really mean. You have to be patient with her."_

Those were her father-in-law's words. She closed her eyes as the memory of her conversation with him before the wedding flashed in her mind. True, Naya had a temper. They were both angry and possibly just pushed each other to the edge.

But whether Naya meant it or not, it didn't matter.

Words never hurt so much before.

Until now.

"I know." That was all Heather managed to say. It sounded more like a whisper. She was about to break and had to get away, so she ran.

The sound of Heather's voice broke Naya's heart.

Naya couldn't believe what she had just said.

"That wasn't… Hemo, I-"

Heather was crying, and Naya could tell by the way her shoulders trembled. Naya ran after her.

"Hemo! I'm- I didn't… Hemo!"

Naya couldn't catch up with the blonde. As she watched the front door slam close, she gave up. She hated herself for saying those things. She hated herself for making Heather cry.

Tears flowed from her eyes.

How can everything that was perfect turn all fucked-up all of a sudden?

* * *

><p>The sun had already risen from the East when Naya realized that she had fallen asleep on the couch. Heather locked her out of their bedroom, and Naya had no choice but to wait. Her eyes felt sore.<p>

She recalled crying herself to sleep.

As the memories of what happened flooded her mind, she didn't want to move. She wanted to stay there and go back to sleep. Maybe her dream would be better than reality right now.

She was about to close her eyes when she heard someone faking a cough. When she turned her head, she found her brother sitting on the opposite chair, looking at her with concern.

The house was eerily quiet so Naya assumed that everybody was still in bed considering the time the party ended.

Naya didn't get up. She just hugged a throw pillow and looked back at Mychal. Her lips quivered and tears streamed from her eyes. Mychal was fast to go to her side and pulled her up for a hug.

"Shh… everything's gonna be fine." Mychal rocked his sister in his arms. He felt her shoulders tremble as Naya sobbed against his chest.

"You don't even know what happened."

"Well, maybe not the exact details but you're obviously in the dog house right now."

That only made Naya cry harder.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. Just… man, I'm not good at this." Mychal just hugged his sister tighter and let her cry.

It took a few minutes before Naya calmed down.

"I screwed up big time, Mychal." Naya said. Her arms were wrapped around her brother's torso.

"I'm sure it's nothing you can't fix, Naya."

"No, you don't understand. I said some really hurtful things. I hurt Hemo. She's hurting because of me." Naya was sobbing again.

"You love her, right?"

"Yes." She answered without a beat.

"So, you'll do anything to make it up to her."

"Of course I will."

"Give her time. She loves you too, Naya. You just got to give her some space for a while. Whatever you did, I know she can forgive you."

"What if she can't? What if she doesn't forgive me?" That scared Naya.

"Naya, you two are the sappiest, cheesiest, most disgustingly in love couple that I'd ever seen in my life. What you're saying is impossible."

"You think so?"

"What, that it's impossible?"

"No, the in love part."

Mychal chuckled.

"Yeah. I think you deserve a trophy for that."

Naya pulled away from Mychal and got up from the couch.

"Maybe I should bring her some breakfast."

"She's on her way back to your house, Naya."

"What?"

"I drove her back to mom and dad's to get that new car you gave her. She drove back to Eagle Rock on her own."

"Oh."

"Hey. I told you, she just needed space. When you get home, fix her some dinner and give her some flowers. Maybe a massage later. Tell her how sorry you are and make love to her all night. Believe me, it will work."

Naya blushed at the lovemaking part.

"I wish it were that easy."

"You're a Rivera. Don't be such a wuss."

* * *

><p>Naya went home to an empty house at exactly lunch time.<p>

Most of her friends were asleep when she left the ranch. Unfortunately however, Lea was awake and wouldn't stop bugging her with questions about where Heather and Mark were. Mark, obviously, had to leave early to get his nose fixed and Heather, well, she had to get away from Naya. Nobody else had to know that, though.

Dianna simply explained that Mark had some business thing to do. Naya lied that Heather had to finish choreographing a dance routine at home. Lea eventually moved on to different topics, none of which Naya could remember as she was thinking of her wife the whole time.

A small smile played on Naya's lips as she found food that Heather left for her on the dining table. That meant she still cared, right? Happily, she spoiled herself with her wife's awful cooking, but her delight was short-lived as she realized how lonesome it was to eat alone.

She had been used to having meals with Heather.

Even when she was at Kevin's office and couldn't go home, or when she had a photoshoot somewhere accessible, Heather would drop by so they could eat their meal together. Naya didn't realize how much she enjoyed those times until now.

She lost her appetite.

It had been hours. Heather still wasn't home and Naya was starting to worry. She wanted to call the blonde but remembered what Mychal had said. She had to give Heather some space. The best option would be to just wait.

Waiting was torture.

Naya kept glancing at her phone, hoping that at least her wife would send a text message. She also kept checking the time.

It was already dark outside when the door opened and Heather walked in. Naya was on the couch in the living room, her eyes focused at the blonde. Although Heather seemed to notice Naya's presence, she didn't bother a glance. Instead, she just went straight upstairs, to her bedroom.

Naya felt her heart clenched.

She got up from her seat and followed the blonde. Her bedroom door was closed.

Taking in a deep breath, Naya knocked. As expected, she didn't get an answer. She tried knocking again, and still, Heather ignored her.

"Hemo, can we talk?"

There was no answer. Naya pressed her ear against the door and heard nothing. She knocked again.

"Sweetheart, pl-" Naya jumped backwards when the door suddenly opened, revealing an irate-looking Heather.

"You don't have to pretend when no one's watching." Heather snapped. Without closing the door, she walked back to her bed.

Naya didn't know whether the door was left open for her, but she entered the room anyway. She found the blonde sitting down on the bed, eyes fixed on the floor. She wrung her hands together, nervous and unsure of what to say. She had been thinking of the right words all day but nothing seemed enough.

"I didn't mean what I said." Naya spoke, hoping that Heather would look up her way.

Heather still didn't look at her.

"Which part?"

The blonde was still furious and she wasn't exerting any effort to hide it.

"Hemo, I'm not good at this." Naya sounded so small.

"Obviously." Heather mumbled.

Naya took a few steps closer and Heather visibly flinched. The actress stopped three feet away and knelt down on both knees. She was tilted her head, urging Heather to meet her eyes. When she made an effort to reach for her wife's hand, the writer was fast to pull both her hands away.

"You mean something to me." Naya said with utmost sincerity.

Heather sighed. Reluctantly, she tore her gaze away from the floor and met Naya's pleading eyes.

"Words are just words, Naya."

"No, please, I… you mean _everything_ to me."

Their eyes locked, and for a few seconds they stayed like that; just looking at each other. Both could see the other's pain.

"I…"

_I love you._

Naya's voice caught up in her throat. She couldn't say the words. They were three simple words but she couldn't say them. She wanted to tell Heather that she was everything that was good in her life. It hardly seemed the right time or place to confess. Her wife was hurt and still angry.

She needed her forgiveness first.

"I'm sorry."

Those weren't the words she wanted to say. But it also needed to be said.

"I need space."

"What?" Naya squeaked. "Are you breaking up with me?" Her voice trembled with fear.

"No. I just… we have another year left. I don't know how I'm going to go through that but I'll try my best. I can promise to be civil, but when we're alone, just give me space."

The brunette wasn't sure what exactly it was that Heather wanted. For how long was she supposed to give her wife that space? What did that even mean? As much as Naya wanted to ask, she really wasn't in the position to.

She just nodded.

"I'm tired." Heather said.

Naya didn't have to ask what the blonde actually meant. She was being asked to leave. Hesitantly, she got up. There were a few questions lingering in her mind, like where had Heather been and was she already forgiven. But it was too soon. Naya knew that. Her eyes went about the room and found the huge gym bag that Heather always brought to the dance studio. She came in with that when she came home. At least she could be sure that Heather wasn't with Mark.

"Uhm, are you sleeping here tonight?" Naya asked. She dreaded to hear the answer although she already knew what it would be.

"Where else would I be sleeping? This is my room." Heather replied in a dismissive tone.

That stung. It had only been days, a few weeks max that they shared a bed. No matter how short the time had been, she didn't remember what it was like sleeping alone, nor did she want to remember. But tonight, the other side of her bed would be cold.

No more spooning, no more secret morning kisses.

Sorrow enveloped her heart.

Her eyes swelled with tears, but the brunette managed to control it from streaming down her face. She needed to be strong. She had to accept the punishment for what she said to her wife. She'd just let Heather cool off and she'd think of something to make it up to her.

"Oh. Okay, uhm, it's just… I'm gonna miss you." Naya turned around without waiting any response. She was already by the door when the lone tear escaped her eyes. Hastily wiping it away, she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

She really did screw it up.

Heather sat staring at the door.

"I'm going to miss you too." The blonde whispered to no one in particular.

Neither was able to sleep that night.

* * *

><p>"This is what you meant by keeping distance? You're not going to talk to me?" Naya stormed into the dining room where Heather was busy typing away in her laptop. She was holding a piece of paper in her hand. That was actually the third she got that day that was stuck on the door of the fridge.<p>

She found the first one that morning. Heather scribbled down a note saying that she'd be out having coffee with Jenna.

The second one just said that they should go to the grocery tomorrow as they were running out of supplies. She thought that was weird because Heather was in her room and she could have just told her in person.

And now Naya was holding the third. That was the last straw. Because Heather was there sitting in the dining room and all the note said was that it was Naya's turn to do the house chores.

She wondered what the hell was going on.

Instead of getting an answer, Heather just looked at her.

"Seriously, if I want to talk to you, I have to post my message on the fridge now?"

"I'm writing, Naya." Heather calmly explained.

"Are you that busy you couldn't be bothered to yell what you wanted to say to me?" Naya was frustrated.

"I told you, I'm writing." Heather just turned her attention back to her laptop.

"That's it?"

"Naya, can we talk about this later? I'm trying to finish something here."

"You're obviously still mad at me. I get that. I don't blame you. Punch me, scream at me. Do anything you want to me but please, don't stop talking to me."

Heather looked up at her. She looked sympathetic, but she didn't say anything.

"Hemo please, are you trying to kill me here?"

No answer.

"If you're trying to hurt me back, you're doing an amazing job at it." Naya threw the piece of paper on the table and stormed out of the house.

When Naya came back later, Heather was nowhere to be seen. She tried to cool off by taking a walk. She sighed. She couldn't really blame Heather for avoiding her or for not wanting to talk to her. If the situation was reversed and it was Heather who told her she meant nothing, would she have acted the same?

Naya knew she would have been worse.

All she wanted was to hear Heather's voice.

All she wanted was a normal conversation with her.

Brown eyes fell on the laptop that was left turned on at the dining table. She walked towards it with an idea in her head.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Heather found her laptop turned off as she came back from the bathroom.

She panicked.

Immediately, she turned it on again, hoping that her files were saved. She had been writing since morning and had typed in about fifteen pages. The last time she remembered saving it was thirty minutes ago. Clicking on some folders, she found her file. As soon as she clicked it open, she knew something was wrong.

It was either auto-save didn't work or someone was an idiot.

Her eyes searched for a particular brunette. They locked dangerously on the actress who was currently perched on the couch, reading a book. Heather marched towards her with a purpose.

"Did you turn my laptop off?" Heather stopped in front of Naya, her arms crossed.

Naya, feigning innocence, pried her eyeglass-covered eyes away from her book and to Heather.

"I thought you were done. You were wasting electricity."

Heather's jaw clenched in annoyance and gave her wife a look that said 'are you for real?'.

"I lost half of my file." She tried to calm herself but the rise in her voice was noticeable.

"What file?" Naya quirked an eyebrow. Of course she knew what file. She just wanted to keep this conversation going.

"I've been writing since morning, Naya!" Heather yelled in frustration. She was going to have to recall everything she had written down and try to write it again. "How could you- damn it. Just… stay away from my things." She walked back to her place in the dining room, not really in the mood to write anymore.

Heather was clutching her own hair when a memory stick was placed in front of her.

Slowly, lifted her gaze, her eyes falling on her wife who was sitting opposite her. And then she realized something.

"You think it's funny? Is it your hobby to torture me?" Heather growled at Naya.

"I wouldn't say that it's a hobby. But at least it got you talking to me." The brunette smiled triumphantly.

"You know what? You're a jerk, a douche and a terrible, terrible person! I hate you the most in this world!" To say that Heather was frustrated would be an understatement. Naya wasn't the only one who says things they didn't mean when they were angry.

Well, that definitely stung.

"I know you're not ready to forgive me. I deserve that. I just… I want to be able to talk to you again."

"That still wasn't funny." Heather retorted.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry."

Heather let out a deep breath. Naya watched as the blonde closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, trying to calm her nerves.

"I know I crossed the line when I said those awful things. I wish I could take it back. But I told you, I didn't mean it. Sometimes, when I'm angry, I don't think and I just say hurtful things. I'm so sorry." Naya apologized again.

Heather could see how genuine Naya was being, but she remained sitting silently. Her wife's words were still fresh in her mind, it still hurt as much. A part of her wanted to just let it go, but another part of her didn't agree.

"I don't want to talk to the fridge anymore. It's ridiculous. It doesn't even talk back!" Naya was then surprised to see the gloom in her wife's eyes. "Hey, don't be sad. Hemo? You want ice cream?" Naya asked, hoping that something sweet would cheer Heather up.

_Hemo's eyes stopped at another framed photo of two little children on top of the study table. She recognized the brunette one as Naya (that dimple gave her away) and the blonde one was Dianna. They were locked in an embrace, as if they didn't want to let go._

_"When we were little, everytime I get sad, Dianna would make a paper crane for me. Those are all the paper cranes she made me."_

_"You must have been very sad a lot." There was an obvious strain in Heather's voice. She reached for the framed photo and turned it away from her, losing all interest to see the rest of the room._

_"Di was the one who had always been there for me. And I had been there for her as well. Everytime she cried, **I bought her ice cream**, so she would stop." Naya smiled fondly at the memories. It didn't take long for her to notice that Hemo had stayed silent. "Hemo? Why aren't you saying anything?"_

"Ice cream?" Heather asked as she snapped out of her trip down memory lane.

Naya nodded.

"We have ice cream in the fridge."

At the mention of ice cream again, Heather's expression hardened. She glared at Naya.

"I hate ice cream the most in the world! I'll never eat ice cream again as long as I live!"

Naya jumped backwards in fear, wondering what cause her wife to go ballistic like that. She watched as Heather slammed her laptop close and ran upstairs.

* * *

><p>"Oh gosh, he's so cute!" Heather gushed. Harry was showing her a photo of his newborn son, Asher, on his iPad. It was too early to tell who the baby was taking after, but judging by the picture, Harry had an edge over Jenna.<p>

The blonde was at the dance studio, too early for her classes and there weren't even any student around yet. Naya, on the other hand, was at the film studios in LA for a fitting of her Batwoman costume.

"I know, right?" Harry couldn't contain the big smile on his face. He had been smiling everyday since Jenna gave birth to their son just before Christmas.

"Can I see him?" Heather said excitedly.

"Well, you're just in luck because Jenna's coming in with Asher right now."

Heather spun around towards the direction of the door and saw her friend Jenna holding a baby basket on her right hand. Just like Harry, she had that huge smile as she entered the dance studio. The blonde rushed to her friend, eager to see their little boy. Jenna placed the baby basket on top of a nearby table.

"Hey! Congratulations!" Heather hugged her friend before walking to the baby basket. She couldn't help but smile seeing little Asher sleeping so soundly like nothing in the world matter.

"Thanks, Heather. It's so great to see you." Jenna said.

Harry walked up to her girlfriend and held her hand, both smiling at Heather as their friend reached down, gently touching Asher's little hands, trying not to wake him up.

"He's so little." The blonde cooed.

"It's unbelievable, right?" Jenna sighed in contentment.

Harry gave his girlfriend a kiss on the lips and left the women alone with their baby. He figured they needed a moment.

"You'll have your own one day." Jenna took a few steps closer towards her friend.

Heather smiled, but she didn't say anything. She stared back at her friends' baby, imagining what it would be like if she was staring at her own. A familiar set of twins crossed her mind, making her stomach flutter.

"What?" Jenna asked.

"What?" Heather seemed surprised at the question.

"What's with that look?"

"What look?"

"Heather, I know you since we were children. You can't hide anything from me. What's wrong?" Jenna softly asked.

"Nothing." Heather mumbled.

Jenna smiled knowingly.

"Couples fight. It's normal."

"How did you-"

"You're only ever like that when you're fighting with Naya. What did she do this time?" Jenna didn't sound accusing. She just sounded concerned.

Heather did not answer right away. She debated whether she wanted to share her worries with Jenna. When her eyes meet her friend's, she saw the encouraging look. Finally, although hesitantly, she opened up.

"We were arguing, and then she said some hurtful things."

"What did she say?"

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"Was she sorry?"

"Yes." Heather absent-mindedly played with the hem of Asher's small shirt.

"Do you think she meant it? The hurtful things she said, I mean."

"She said she didn't."

"Do you believe her?"

"I don't know. But either way, it hurts, you know." Heather mentally berated herself for allowing her voice to break. Now Jenna could see how hurt she was. She felt embarrassed.

Jenna took the last step towards her friend and made her turned around. When Heather finally faced her with those sad pair of blue eyes, Jenna wrapped her arms around her.

"Heather, everything's going to be okay." Jenna whispered.

"How do you know?"

"I just know. I've never seen you as happy with anyone else as you are with Naya. She's scary sometimes but a total catch, nonetheless."

Heather chuckled at that. As she pulled away, she saw Harry talking to someone by the door. It was a short conversation. He then walked in with a uniformed guy behind him.

"Hate to break this little girl bonding time you have, but someone's looking for you, Heather." Harry pointed to the uniformed guy.

Heather's eyebrows creased in confusion, trying to recall if she ordered something or if she'd met him before. She exchanged looks with Jenna.

"Heather Morris-Rivera?" The guy asked.

"Uhm, yeah. That's me." Heather still wasn't used to their combined surnames, but she couldn't deny how good it felt to be called that.

"Can you sign here, please?" Uniformed guy handed her an electronic device and a stylus pen. He pointed where Heather was supposed to sign.

"What's this for?" Heather asked.

"For this." He handed Heather a huge bouquet of red roses.

The blonde was surprised. She didn't even notice him holding those flowers. Jenna held the bouquet for her so she could sign. By the look on Jenna's face, Heather didn't have to look at the card to know from whom it came from. She handed the electronic device to the uniformed guy, expecting him to leave.

"So, where are we going to put the others?" Uniformed guy asked.

Heather and Jenna exchanged looks again.

"Uhm, others?" Heather arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah." He answered. Just then, more uniformed guys came in, carrying bouquets and vases full of different flowers.

Heather gaped in surprise and disbelief.

Jenna grinned.

Harry instructed the delivery guys where to put the flowers. If he counted correctly, there were almost a dozen vases and a dozen bouquets. It filled the hallway to the different classrooms and the reception area. He scratched his head in amusement. It was going to be a little bit more crowded as soon as their students arrive. Harry thanked the delivery guys as Heather seemed to be incapable of speaking at the moment.

"Must have been one hell of a fight." Jenna remarked as she handed the bouquet back to an open-mouthed Heather.

Heather was still speechless. She picked up the card from the bouquet and read Naya's childish handwriting. It only contained one sentence.

_You have a beautiful smile._

And she realized she was actually smiling.

"I'm giving her A for effort. You should forgive her already." Jenna smiled. Asher stirred in his sleep and let out a little cry, so her mother picked him up to lull him back to sleep.

Heather was still staring at the card.

"Come on Heather, lighten up. Your wife is trying to woo you. I mean, I didn't even realize people still do that. Or maybe it's just Naya. Gosh. Who would have thought she's so romantic." Jenna chuckled.

Heather pulled out her iPhone and clicked on her contacts. Naya was first on her list. Before she could press on Naya's name though, she changed her mind. She didn't really know what to say.

* * *

><p>No matter what Naya did, it seemed Heather was intent on minimizing contact with her.<p>

She did get a thank you for the tons of flowers she sent her wife, but aside from that, there wasn't anything else. Maybe Naya was a bit presumptuous thinking that Heather would just run into her arms and confess her love by sending her flowers, but a girl can dream, right?

At least they didn't communicate through post-it notes on the fridge anymore. They talk, but not as much as Naya wanted to. Heather only talked to her whenever necessary.

It was killing Naya.

When Heather wasn't busy writing, she'd be out at the dance studio, or worse, discussing projects with Mark.

Like, right now.

Meeting with Mark had become an every other day thing now.

Just the idea made her want to confront Mark again, but knowing it wasn't going to help mend her relationship with Heather, she controlled herself.

It was quite a feat.

She didn't trust Mark, but she trusted Heather's words. The blonde did say she didn't like Mark more than a friend. Although it also scared Naya that Heather said she wasn't closing her doors.

Well, Mark was never ever going to get near that door. Naya was going to make sure of that.

She was alone in their house, staring at their wedding picture up in their living room wall. Her pre-production work in Batwoman was just finished and filming would start in a month, so she had nothing to do. She had cleaned the house twice already. She even cleaned the pool.

Naya glanced at her watch. It seemed that time was going slow. She kept checking the time and checking the door for any sign of Heather.

She blew the stray strand of hair that dangled on her face.

Bored. To. Death.

More than a year ago, she took pleasure of times like this, when she could be alone and there was no one to bother her, when she could just spend the rest of the day reading a book or catching up to her favorite TV shows.

Now, times like this just made her lonely.

Times like this made her miss Heather.

_Damn it._

Heather was gone barely three hours and Naya felt like she was going crazy. The blonde never left her mind since she woke up. Even when she was scrubbing the bathtub, she thought of Heather.

_I got to do something._

Naya got up. She wasn't in the mood to watch TV and she'd probably end up daydreaming about Heather anyway, so she decided not to do that. She wasn't going to clean the house for the third time, so she crossed that on the list as well. When she walked into the laundry room, she found a stack of freshly washed clothes (mostly hers), and there were some clothes on a basket that were still to be washed. Without anything better to do, the actress took the initiative to continue what Heather must have been doing before she left.

The brunette checked the washer and saw the white garments that Heather left to soak. She turned the washer on and after a few minutes, it was done. She opened the washer and reached down. As she pulled the white garments up to place them into the dryer, she froze.

White garments turned out to be underwear.

A _very little_ underwear.

Not her own.

They were a few of Heather's.

"Oh my god, is that mine?" Heather startled Naya as she rushed into the laundry room.

Naya had an idea of how red her face was as she was caught by her wife still holding her panty up in the air. She totally _wasn't _staring.

Nope.

"Uhm… I'm uh-"

"What are you even doing here? Give that to me." Heather grabbed the underwear that Naya was still holding.

"But I'm almost-" Naya held on. She wasn't sure why she was.

"Naya, let go." Heather was flustered in embarrassment.

"No." The brunette pulled the underwear back.

"You're going to rip it." Heather warned and she pulled back as well.

The thought of ripping that underwear under a totally different circumstance distracted Naya and she lost focus. As Heather pulled with force, Naya was pulled as well, causing the brunette to stumble forward. Heather tried to catch her wife, but she lost her footing. When the blonde fell backwards, she pulled Naya with her.

Naya fell hard on top of Heather, knocking the air out of the writer's chest.

"Ugh…" Heather groaned.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry, I…" Naya trailed off as her eyes drifted down to Heather's lips, completely forgetting that she was still lying on top of the blonde.

"No, no, I'm…" Heather didn't get to finish her sentence as she realized how close their faces were.

Seconds passed and neither of them made a move, underwear long forgotten.

Naya missed this. She missed being this close to Heather. She was still enjoying their rather comfortable position on top of each other and staring at each other when the sound of the doorbell yanked them out of their stupor. Reluctantly, she got off her wife and helped her up.

At least that got her a smile.

Naya felt giddy just seeing Heather smile.

_Wow, highschool kid much?_

"I'm gonna get that." Suddenly feeling awkward, Naya rushed to get out of the laundry room, leaving Heather behind.

At the front door, Naya opened the door and found Jenna standing at their doorstep.

"Hey. Hemo didn't say you're coming over." Naya smiled at Jenna, who, instead of entering the house, just stood there like she was about to burst.

Naya gave her a weird look.

Then Jenna just burst out laughing.

Naya frowned.

"You're quite a sight, Morris-Rivera." Jenna gave the actress a pat on the back before going into the house.

When Naya looked at herself in the mirror, she realized what Jenna was talking about.

She was quite a sight alright. She looked like an overworked slave in her sweatpants and big shirt, apron and disheveled hair. If she saw herself walking down the street like this, she wouldn't believe she was a Hollywood movie star.

_So much for impressing Hemo._

* * *

><p>She decided that tonight was the night.<p>

Naya was going to confess. It was around 5 pm, too early to prepare for dinner but she was starting her preparations already. Of course, Heather had no idea what she was planning, but she was certain she could still surprise the blonde considering she was always busy writing her script.

Heather might not have expressly forgiven her, but their relationship these past few days had been better. They weren't as touchy-feely as the holidays, but at least they were talking again. There were still tensed, awkward moments, but Naya would take them any day than talk to sticky notes on her fridge.

Most times, she found herself staring at Heather. She didn't know if the blonde ever noticed, but she was sure she was caught quite a handful of times. The write never said anything though. Everyday of not being _with_ Heather was tormenting her. The longing she felt wasn't making it any easier either.

She had to do this.

She was going to tell Heather that she was in love with her.

Then she heard the footsteps coming downstairs. Naya looked up from the vegetables she was cutting to see Heather dressed like she was going to go out.

"Where are you going?"

Usually, when Heather was done with dance class, she'd be home writing. Naya wondered where her wife was headed now.

"I have a meeting with Mark."

Naya frowned.

"Again? You went to see him this morning." The brunette sounded worried.

"It's work, Naya. Even though we're not really together, I'm not going to cheat on you."

Naya felt like she was kicked in the gut upon hearing that 'we're not really together' part.

"We're actually meeting with Telly and Meg today. They had a look on one of the scripts I submitted and I think they liked it. They wanted to discuss plans with me." Heather smiled. She was really excited about this one. She wanted to tell Naya about the script, but she didn't want to jinx it.

Maybe after the plans were finalized.

"Wow, really?" Naya felt suddenly proud of her wife.

"Yeah."

"Congrats. I'm so proud of you." Naya smiled.

Heather felt her cheeks warm.

"Thanks."

"But you're going back before dinner, right?" The brunette asked, looking hopeful.

"I'll try." Heather answered. She didn't really know how long the meeting would last. Aside from Telly, Meg and Mark, they'd be meeting with other execs from their film production company.

"Well, be here. I'll wait for you."

"I can't promise what time I'd be home, though."

"It's okay, just be here. I told you. I'll wait."

Heather nodded.

"But if I'm late, don't starve yourself, alright?"

"I just want to have dinner with you." Naya said.

That pulled a string on Heather's heart. Naya's efforts in the past week really touched her. The blonde was definitely way past the angry stage, but just because she wasn't angry at Naya anymore, she was intent on keeping her distance. She let herself got carried away before and that hurt her.

_Lesson learned._

"I'll see you later." Heather smiled as she turned to leave.

"Take care, honey." Naya called after the blonde. Her wife just turned and gave her a smile over her shoulder.

When the door closed, Naya let out a disappointed sigh. Ever since they had that fight, Hemo stopped calling her with their terms of endearment. She was hoping that she could change that tonight.

* * *

><p>At 8pm, Naya was done with her preparations.<p>

For the last touch, the brunette placed the expensive bottle of Dom Romanee Conti 1997 on the table that was set for two at the backyard. Lit candles were floating on the pool, creating that warm, cozy atmosphere. She'd be taking the food out as soon as her wife arrives.

She couldn't help the excitement she felt.

Naya sat on one of the chairs, imagining Heather opposite her. She tried to recall the words she'd been practicing all day. She stuttered a few lines and facepalmed a few times. How could a Hollywood moviestar like her find it hard to memorize not more than five sentences?

She laughed at her nervousness.

Acting was her element. She didn't get nervous acting. But this was different. This was real life. She'd be opening herself to rejection, but she had to be brave.

She had to take a chance with Heather.

Naya jumped in surprise as her iPhone sounded off.

It was a text message from Heather.

She was apologizing that she wouldn't be able to make it to dinner as she was caught in the middle of what turned out to be a super long meeting.

Naya sighed. She was disappointed, but she couldn't really be annoyed when Heather made those smiley and sad faces in her text message. She composed a reply, saying that she'd still be home waiting.

* * *

><p>Heather found Naya sleeping on the sun lounger by the pool when she came home late.<p>

She couldn't help but feel guilty upon seeing the set up in the backyard. Most of the floating candles were not lit anymore and only few remained. The candle on the table was already burned halfway and the ice that was keeping the red wine cold had melted. The blonde honestly thought the meeting wouldn't take long, but apparently, she was wrong. When it was finally over, Meg invited her and the rest for a drink but she politely refused, telling the other blonde that Naya was waiting at home.

Meg understood.

Mark didn't say much, though.

He'd been more professional these past few days since that incident with Naya.

Heather didn't bring up what happened. They maybe friends but it seemed to be an awkward topic of conversation so she just avoided it.

She sat on the sun lounger and watched her wife sleep for a few minutes.

She missed doing this.

Heather reached her hand out and caressed the side of Naya's face.

"Naya…" She softly called.

The brunette seemed to have heard because her eyes fluttered open. After blinking a few times, she opened her eyes fully. A big smile formed on her face as her eyes landed on her blonde wife.

"Hey…" Naya's voice was hoarse from sleep.

"Hi." Heather returned her smile.

"Have you been here long? I'm sorry I fell asleep." Naya got up.

"No. _I'm_ sorry I took so long."

Naya rubbed her eyes, snapping herself awake. She glanced at the time on her iPhone and realized it was already 11 pm.

"I didn't realize how late it is." Naya said, more to herself.

"You didn't eat dinner, did you? I told you not to starve yourself." Heather reprimanded the brunette. She sounded concerned.

Naya just smiled sheepishly.

"The meeting lasted longer than I expected and wanted. I would have gotten out earlier if I could."

"I know how these things go, Hemo. I understand. So, I'm assuming you've had dinner?" Naya suspected that.

"No." Heather saw the defeated look on her wife.

"No?" The actress looked surprised.

"Well, we met at this fancy restaurant but I just ordered a drink. Telly raised an eyebrow at me but I told him you prepared something for me, so he didn't ask anymore questions." Heather shrugged.

Naya smiled.

"You must be hungry then. Uhm, why don't you sit by the table and I'll bring out the food?" Naya said, obviously ecstatic.

"Okay."

So, Heather was sitting by the table when Naya brought out what she prepared for dinner. The first few minutes were spent in silence eating, and occasionally glancing at each other.

"So, Drew Barrymore took interest in my story…" Heather spoke.

Naya's eyes snapped up to meet Heather's. Her eyes twinkled in admiration and disbelief.

"Really? Wow, that's great. For Flower Films, right?"

"Yeah. I'm really excited."

"You wrote a romantic comedy?"

"Kind of."

"Tell me about it."

Heather looked suddenly shy. Her ears were red and she tried to avoid Naya's eyes.

"I will, after everything is finalized with Drew."

"How about the plot? Tell me about the plot." Naya asked eagerly.

"Naya, be patient." Heather joked.

"If you know me, then you know that patience is not really one of my qualities." Naya snickered.

Heather snickered with her. She shook her head at her wife, feigning disapproval. When she turned her eyes back to Naya, she found her staring at her.

Naya took in a deep breath.

"There's something that I want to tell you."

"Me too."

"Oh, there's another thing? Why don't you go first?" Naya poured their glasses with more wine.

"No. You go first. You went through all this trouble and I made you wait. I'm sorry." Heather encouraged the actress.

"It's okay. I know you're working. Please, I insist. What are you going to tell me?" Naya said. At least that would give her more time to calm her nerves. She felt her heart pounding against her chest as if it was trying to jump out, to Heather's arms.

Heather paused for a moment, pondering about something. She seemed hesitant at first.

"The Sundance Film Festival is happening this week." Heather paused again.

Naya looked at her wife expectantly, waiting for her to continue.

"Mark and Telly are going, and they said that I should too since it would be good for my career. I'd get to meet directors, exchange ideas with fellow writers, and I can get acquainted with the professional scene."

Naya didn't say anything. She just stared.

"I said yes."

"You're… you're going with Mark?" Naya finally found her voice.

She would have just told Heather what Mark said. But Naya was afraid that would be pushing her wife further into Mark's arms. What if Heather really wasn't closing her doors for him? Their contract wasn't getting any longer and while they had their moments, it wasn't clear which of those were real. They never talked about feelings. They just acted.

"_And_ Telly. I don't know anyone there, and the three of us work together now."

Naya forced a smile. She didn't really know what to do or say. Clearly, Heather wasn't asking for permission. She just was telling her that she was going to Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. She was supportive of her wife, of course. She just wasn't that thrilled to hear Mark would be there. Good thing Telly would be as well.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" Heather went back to Naya.

"Oh, I, uh, I forgot." Naya said. She looked away from the blonde.

"You… forgot?" The writer raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing her.

"Yeah. Uhm, you want some more wine?" Naya steered the conversation away.

"Sure." Heather smiled. "That's a very expensive bottle of wine. What's the occasion?" The blonde watched as Naya poured some on her glass.

"Nothing. Just, you know… dinner with you." Naya smiled.

* * *

><p>"Dianna's not answering her phone." Lea whined as she dialed the designer's number for the fourth time.<p>

Naya rolled her eyes.

Lea was in town for a few days for some award show and the two of them were having coffee at Dolce Isola in LA. Naya wasn't really in the mood to go out, but her wife was out with Mark, Meg and Telly again. Her movie project was starting to lift off and she couldn't be more proud. She still hated the Mark part of the project.

She didn't want to be alone in the house so she agreed to meet with the Broadway actress.

"LA Fashion Week is next week. She's really busy so don't hassle her." Dianna did mention that she was rushing some designs. Since the New Year incident, Dianna never mentioned Mark again.

"I should try Little Lengies." Lea scanned for Vanessa's number.

"Lea, stop fiddling with your phone and just enjoy your coffee."

"It's rare that I'm in town. I just thought it would be nice to hang out with our friends."

"Vanessa's filming in Texas."

"Britt?"

"Probably busy macking on someone."

"Chris?"

"He's dating someone now so don't bother him."

Lea raised an eyebrow.

"How did you know these things about our friends?"

"Happens when you're bored."

"Hmm. Mark?"

"Who the fuck cares about Mark?" Naya snapped.

Lea looked at her friend, surprised and confused at her reaction.

"Uhm, I wasn't asking."

Naya frowned.

"He's here, with Meg, Telly and your wife." Lea said. Her smile got bigger as she waved at the group that just entered the café. "Guys! Over here!"

"Oh, hey! Lea, I didn't know you're back!" Telly walked towards their table, elated to see them. He gave Lea a bear hug before turning to Naya. "Snix!"

"Hey, Telly." Naya smiled at her friend.

By the time the brunette pulled away from Telly, Meg and Heather were already by their table. Mark was ordering for them. Heather sat beside Naya while Meg sat next to Lea. Telly occupied the chair on one head of the table. A few seconds later, Mark joined them. He sat on the other head.

Mark just said hey to no one in particular and avoided looking at Naya's direction.

Naya, on the other hand, kept throwing glares at his.

"You didn't tell me you were going out, honey." Heather, keeping up with her role, leaned closer and gave her wife a short kiss on the lips.

That sent tingles through every part of Naya's body. They hadn't kissed for days.

Maybe she should invite people over so Heather would keep up the act.

"I didn't even know I was going out until Lea called." Naya said.

"Are you here for the awards, Lea? I heard you were nominated." Meg asked.

"Yes, I am." Lea grinned proudly.

"Good luck!" Meg leaned in and gave her friend a good luck hug that Lea gladly returned.

"I thought you have a meeting." Naya said to Heather.

"We do. But Drew's going to be late for an hour. We thought we'd get some coffee first." Heather answered.

"Drew?" Lea's eyebrow shot up in interest.

"Drew Barrymore." Mark supplied.

Naya's expression turned sour after hearing Mark's voice.

"Wow!"

"We're closing a project deal with Flower Films. Heather wrote the script." Meg grinned at Heather.

"That's so cool. Congratulations, Heather." Lea said.

"Thanks, Lea."

"Snix has a very talented wife." Telly playfully gave Naya a push.

"You bet I do." Naya playfully pushed back and giggled.

"What is it about? And what's the title?" Lea asked curiously.

"It's called Full House. But the studio's probably going to change the name, it's so lame." Heather said, looking embarrassed.

"The story's definitely far from lame though." Telly winked at Heather, who laughed at his antics.

"It's awesome." Meg added.

"It is." Mark agreed. He wasn't talking much, but couldn't help but vouch for Heather.

"Tell me about it. I'm dying to know!" Lea squealed.

"It's a romantic comedy…" Heather trailed off.

Everyone was looking at her expectantly, especially Naya.

"It's okay, Heather. You can tell Lea." Telly smiled at Heather.

"Well, uhm…" Heather stole a quick glance at her wife's direction and saw her waiting to continue. She cleared her throat. "It's about this dancer. She's losing inspiration. When her friends give her free trip to the French Riviera, she couldn't say no. On the plane, she meets this famous rockstar, he's really gorgeous…" Heather felt her wife's eyes on the side of her face. She cleared her throat again. "Their first meeting isn't that great. They kind of hate each other. When the dancer comes back home, she finds out her friends conned her and sold her house. It turns out, it was the famous rockstar who bought it. For some reason, they end up living together. Shit happens, they end up getting fake-married and they have a contract with an expiration date."

Naya sat staring at her wife, her eyes wide.

Heather wrote about them.

She was basically telling the world their story. Heather may have changed the characters into heterosexual ones, but they were them.

Would it be possible for people to figure it out?

No. Of course not. Anyone who'd listen to the story would deem it farfetched. Like right now. She wouldn't believe that the story was based on truth, if she was anyone else.

"They fall for each other, right?" Lea sounded hopeful.

"That's the conflict. Among others." Telly smiled.

"How does it end?" Naya asked.

_I don't know yet._

"Happily." Heather turned away. "If you can't make things work out in real life, why not do it in movies, right? That's why people go see them. It's their way out."

Naya was the only one who caught what Heather meant.

Minutes passed. Telly and Lea were busy chatting. Meg and Mark were discussing business. Heather and Naya turned unusually quiet.

Heather's coffee break didn't last long. They had to go back to the studios to meet Drew. With one last kiss for her wife, she and her group said goodbye with a promise to see her wife soon.

"Is it me or is it just cold in here?"

Naya was pulled out of her trance by Lea's voice. She found her friend looking inquiringly at her.

"What happened?" The Broadway asked.

"Nothing happened."

"That wasn't nothing. Back at the ranch, you two couldn't get enough of each other." Lea definitely picked up the tension between the couple. While Naya and Heather were getting along and they still had those cute little moments, she felt something was wrong.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"How about we just go somewhere fun?" Naya suggested.

Knowing that Naya wasn't about to talk about her problems, if ever there was one, Lea just agreed. It looked like the actress was intent on spending a late night anyway.

Later that night, Heather was surprised when she didn't find Naya's Range Rover at the garage when she came home.

Meanwhile, in LA, Lea was helping a very drunk Naya stay on her feet as they walk out of Bar Marmont. She tried to control her friend's intake of alcohol, she really did. But Naya just did what she wanted to do and ignored Lea's pleas the rest of the night.

Lea cursed under her breath upon seeing the mob of paparazzi waiting outside.

_Great._

She was sober but photos of Naya like this would surely flip Kevin out. Sure, everybody gets drunk every now and then, but the paparazzi, online gossip sites and trashy tabloids were without mercy when it came to smearing an actor's reputation.

They'd done that to Naya more than twice in the past. They were, after all, the ones who dubbed Naya as Hollywood's notorious playgirl.

The fucking press was going to have a feast.

Just before she could pull Naya back and search for another exit, lights began flashing.

They were already caught.

So, Lea proceeded outside. She tried to hide both their faces from the cameras but the flashing never stopped. She could hear questions being thrown, mostly at Naya's. She heard Naya groaning and cursing.

"Naya! When can we see you in your sexy Batwoman costume!"

"Lea, congratulations on your nomination!"

"Thanks." Lea gave a grateful smile.

"Naya! Will you confirm flirting with Evan Rachel Wood inside!"

Naya snapped her eyes dangerously towards the guy who just spoke. She was about to hurl some spiteful words at him when another question was thrown her way.

"Bad habits are hard to break, isn't it, Naya!"

"What are you trying to say, schmuck?" The actress hissed at the guy. Lea squeezed Naya's hand, warning her to stay calm.

"Your wife trusts you in these kinds of place, Naya?" A guy on their side holding a video camera asked.

Lea walked faster, pulling Naya with her. But she wasn't fast enough. Before she realized what was happening, Naya had already grabbed a hold of the paparazzo's collar and snatched the video camera from his hands.

"Leave my wife out of this!"

Lea didn't have time to stop her friend as Naya smashed the video camera on the pavement, shocking everyone. Lea's jaw dropped on the floor. The shocked paparazzi kept on taking photos and videos though, although they looked like they were about to run.

It took a lot of Lea's strength for her to be able to pull Naya into her Range Rover.

Lea parked at the nearest Starbucks. Naya stayed at the Range Rover as Lea got them some coffee. She got back to the car and gave Naya the strongest one.

They sat in silence.

Naya was still too drunk to do anything. Any movement she made caused her head to spin. So she sat still. Her phone kept ringing. It was Kevin. Her outburst was probably all over the internet right now and he was sure to give her a piece of his mind, but the actress wasn't really in the condition for that. So she ignored him. When her phone rang again, she saw Heather's picture beaming up at her. Naya couldn't help but smile.

"Hi, Hemo."

Lea heard.

"I'm going to get some muffins." Lea excused herself to give her friend privacy to talk to her wife.

Naya just nodded. She watched as Lea got off the car.

_"I thought you wanted to stop the bad publicity, Naya."_

So that's why Heather was calling. She found out about what happened outside Chateau Marmont.

_"You can't just smash people's cameras. What if you got hurt? I saw how big that guy was. I'm surprised he didn't hurt you."_

"Well it's not for no reason." Naya growled. She slurred with her words.

_"Are you drunk?" _

Oops. Busted.

"Just had a few drinks with Lea."

_"Doesn't sound like a few. Is she driving you home or should I pick you up? I'm not letting you drive in that state." _Heather definitely sound concerned.

"I s'pose Lea's driving."

_"Look, we agreed to help each other out. But you have to help yourself as well. Your notoriety is not just about you being a player. We both know how explosive your temper can be."_

Naya frowned.

"So this is what it's about? You're just trying to _help_ me?" Naya sounded hurt.

Hemo sighed.

_"I don't want you to get hurt, Naya."_

Heather waited for her wife to say something. It took a few seconds.

"Are you still going to Park City tomorrow?" Naya's voice cracked at the question. It had been a week and still, she couldn't stop thinking of her wife at Sundance with Mark.

_"Yeah, I mean, why not? It's going to help me with my career."_

"You're still going with Mark?"

Heather was surprised at how small Naya sounded.

_"I told you, Telly's going to be there too. I don't know anyone there."_

There was a pause.

"Are you still giving him a chance?" The tremble was more apparent in Naya's voice now. She sounded as if she was going to cry.

_"I don't even remember saying that. But I don't know."_

Heather could hear Naya breathing on the other end.

_"Naya, why are you even asking me this? We're still married."_

Naya did not answer.

_"Hey, are you still there?"_

"Uhm, yeah. Yeah, I'm still here." Naya hastily wiped the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.

_"Come home now, okay? I'll wait for you."_

"Okay."

They hung up.

When Lea got back, she drove the Range Rover back to Eagle Rock. It was late. Heather offered Lea to stay, but since there was already a cab waiting for her to take her back to her hotel in LA, Lea refused.

Heather had a hard time helping Naya up to her bedroom. The brunette maybe small but she was still heavy. She deposited her wife on the bed as she searched for change of clothes. She was just walking out of Naya's walk-in closet with a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top when she heard Naya mumbling something.

Naya was lying down the bed with her eyes close.

Heather took in a deep breath.

Changing her wife's clothes was going to be tricky.

She cleared her throat. It wasn't like she was peeking. She was helping Naya.

_Right._

Back to helping Naya.

The blonde was in the process of taking off Naya's clothes and was finding it more and more difficult to stop her eyes from darting down to Naya's cleavage when Naya spoke something undecipherable again. She ignored what her wife was saying and continued with the impossible task of undressing Naya and not peeping.

Naya was already out of her shirt and pants.

Heather cleared her throat every now and then, finding it more and more difficult to pry her eyes away from Naya's long, smooth legs and her tight abs.

"Baby…"

Heather jumped at the first decipherable words that came out of Naya's mouth. She was blushing furiously, thinking that she was caught leering.

But Naya's eyes were still close.

"I love you…"

Heather froze.

"I love you, sweetheart…" Naya murmured.

The writer had to shake her mind from the gutter she found herself in after hearing Naya's words, wondering if she heard her right, wondering if Naya was talking to her.

She continued dressing Naya. When she was done, she leaned over to give Naya a kiss on her forehead when she felt warm hands tug on her own. She knew what Naya was asking. The brunette was asking her to lay down with her, but Heather wasn't sure if it was a good idea.

Naya wasn't letting up, though.

"Honey, hold me…" Naya said.

Heather couldn't resist her anymore. So she obliged. She got into bed beside Naya, but this time, she didn't spoon her. She lay down facing her wife. She stroke her brunette locks with her hand, reveling at the marvelous feel of it in her hand. Naya seemed to have fallen asleep because she wasn't mumbling anymore.

Hemo then held Naya close to her heart.

* * *

><p>Naya had one hell of a hung over.<p>

She was in the dining room early the next morning and drinking coffee when Heather came down already dressed to leave with her luggage, reminding Naya that today was the day that her wife leaves for Park City, Utah with Mark.

_And Telly._

Naya reminded herself. Heather wasn't going to be alone with Mark. Her good friend Telly would be there.

"Hey." Heather greeted as she walked over her to join her in the dining room.

"Hi."

"Did you find the pain killers I left you?" Heather asked. She had left Naya's bedroom before the brunette woke up.

"Yeah. It's not working it's magic yet."

Heather poured herself a cup of coffee and sat opposite Naya. She watched for a while as the brunette desperately rubbed her temple.

"Do you remember what you said last night?" Heather said before she could stop herself.

Naya looked up at her, confused.

She couldn't even remember how she got home and into her bed.

She was too wasted.

"What did I say? Did I upset you again?" Naya worried.

"No. You don't remember?" Heather wasn't sure whether she should be relieved or not.

Naya shook her head.

"I was too drunk. I'm sorry… Are you sure I didn't say something that upset you?"

"It's nothing, don't worry." Heather forced a smile. She only drank half of her cup of coffee before bringing the cup to the sink.

Naya's eyes fell on the luggage by the living room floor.

"Don't go." She said.

"I have to."

"No you don't. I don't want you to go."

"Naya…"

"Don't leave me, Hemo." Naya pleaded.

Heather almost gave in. But she had to go. It was a career choice and maybe they needed time away from each other. She needed time and space to think.

"It's only for a few days. I'll be back before you know it." Heather smiled reassuringly at Naya, although there was sadness in her own eyes.

The blonde walked towards Naya. She stopped behind Naya's chair and wrapped her arms around her shoulder.

Naya closed her eyes.

They stayed like that for quite some time, with Heather's arms around Naya's shoulders, the blonde's face buried in Naya's brunette locks. When it was time for Heather to go, the blonde kissed her wife on the top of her head and without saying anything else, she left.

When Naya opened her eyes, tears started streaming down her face.

* * *

><p>"You look like shit."<p>

Naya didn't turn to see who took the seat next to her. It was barely lunch time and she was already sitting on a stool at Covell, a half-empty glass of wine in front of her. She had just gotten out of an argument with Kevin about what she supposedly did at Chateau Marmont last night.

That, she could remember.

"I thought you were busy with your Fashion Week stuff."

"You're more important than Fashion Week, Naya. You're my bestfriend."

Naya took a sip of her wine.

"Lea told me about what happened." As soon as Dianna heard, she tried calling Naya but the brunette wouldn't answer. She asked Kevin who suspected that the actress probably headed here at Covell, a bar that was near his office.

Naya scoffed.

"Just what I expected."

"She was concerned about you." Dianna said.

Naya didn't say anything.

"I heard Heather's going to Sundance with Telly and Mark."

"Don't say his name." Naya hissed.

"What's happening with you guys?"

"It's my fault. This is all my fault."

"No it's not. Why did you even allow her to go with Mark? Did you tell her what happened at the ranch, the reason you punched him?"

"I can't."

Naya couldn't because she was afraid that if Heather had feelings for Mark as well, that would just validate it.

"What are you doing here, Naya?"

"Drinking, obviously."

"Why aren't you chasing after your wife?"

"What?"

"She's with Mark, in another State, and we both know how he is. He likes her. You should have been honest and stopped her from going. You have the right to. You're hers and she's yours, Naya. So don't be a fool. Don't just sit there and let someone else take her away from you. Don't even give him that chance."

She knew just what Dianna was suggesting and honestly, it wasn't a bad suggestion.

Naya sat staring at her glass of wine for a while before Dianna spoke up again.

"So, do you wanna drive or…?"

"I think it's safer if you would." Naya left a bill on the bar and jumped down from the stool. She rushed outside of Covell with Dianna following her.

When Naya and Dianna raced to the airport, they were too late.

Heather's plane just lifted off.

Naya felt the energy drained out of her as she watched Heather's plane, Utah-bound.

She also felt something inside her break as well.

* * *

><p><em>"Heather?"<em>

_The blonde looked up to see Telly's concerned eyes. She didn't realize she had stop walking in the middle of a busy airport. Mark was barely talking to her in the past weeks and he just waited for her to say something. _

_Every step she took, she was taking a step away from Naya. _

_And every step away from Naya, she was finding it hard to breathe._

_"I can't leave Naya." Heather said. _

_Telly looked confused. _

_"Heather, it's just a few days." Telly said. _

_"I know, but… I've never really spent days away from her before. Well, there was that one time when she went to New York, but…"_

_Heather shifted her eyes from Telly to Mark. _

_"I need to be with Naya. She needs to be with me, I'm- I'm sorry." She told her boss in apology._

_Mark just smiled and nodded, internally accepting his defeat. There wasn't even a competition to begin with. He never stood a chance._

_Naya didn't even have to punch Mark to win._

_She already had Heather's heart from the beginning. _

* * *

><p>When Heather reached home, Naya was gone.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: CHILL. I'll make it up to you next chapter. I PROMISE. And trust me.

Wanna know the title of Chapter 11? It's some sort of spoiler in itself, so don't go beyond this point if you don't want to be spoiled.

SPOILERS!

SPOILERS!

SPOILERS!

**Chapter 11: The Mystery of the Sixth**

;-)

And then we'll see what happens in the Epilogue.


	12. The Mystery of the Sixth

**AN: **I'm so sorry for taking so long! It wasn't Criminal Minds this time, I swear. I had to work and I couldn't find enough time to write. Thanks for being patient.

** BrittzTana**, thank you for the tweets!

I can't believe I just joined tumblr. I'm a total amateur. But, if you have questions, you can ask me there. Or you can follow me. :-) **peach83**.

Hi to everyone of you who had been sending me messages and reviewing! Thanks for letting me know that you're rereading the fic while waiting for my update. Know that I appreciate all of you and your messages! You guys are awesome!

Thanks for joining me in my little HeYa bubble. I love my little HeYa world. ;-)

**ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT AFTER THIS. CATCH YOU IN THE EPILOGUE. **

This chapter is **Rated M.**

**CHAPTER 11**

**THE MYSTERY OF THE SIXTH**

"_Hemo..."_

Naya's voice broke, and she'd barely even started.

"_There's so many things that I want to tell you. I don't even know how to begin. I just, uhm… I haven't told you this before, but you're the best coincidence that ever happened to me. You make me so happy. And I'd do anything, ANYTHING, to make you feel the same way because I-"_

The raspy voice trailed off. It took a moment before the actress spoke again. She almost let it slip that she loved Heather, but stopped herself before the word came out. Heather deserved more than just a phone confession. Keeping her feelings in check wasn't that easy for Naya, however.

"_I care, about you..."_

There was that sound that sounded like a sob.

"_You probably had arrived in Utah already. I hope you're doing well. Get back home safe. Uhm, I won't be home when you get back. I'm driving somewhere right now. I just can't go back home knowing that you're not going to be there. I can't take it. I'm just, uh, taking some time away. I kind of needed some time. Some 'me' time to think about some things. Don't worry, I won't take long and I'm doing alright. Just give me this time. And I'm giving you space. You did say you needed it. And then we'll talk. I can't wait to see you, honey."_

A pale hand reached out from under the warm covers to the bedside phone and played the voice mail again.

Naya's voice was heard in the bedroom for the 32nd time that day.

It was the 116th time Heather played it since the message was left on their phone.

And it had been five days since Naya left that message on their voice mail.

Five days of Heather awfully missing her wife.

Five days of Heather not getting out of the house.

Heather tried calling, but Naya's phone was out of reach. Naya obviously didn't want to be found. She wanted to ask Naya's friends, or her other family members but that would certainly generate questions and right now, she didn't have answers. She had no idea why it was important for Naya to get away and what it was that she needed to reflect about.

Truthfully, it scared her.

The message reached its end. Heather reached out again and replayed the message for the 117th time. Before it was finished, she heard the door bell.

The blonde didn't even move. She had no intentions of getting up from Naya's bed – where she'd been sleeping in since coming home to an empty house - to open the door. She didn't care who was there. All she cared about was Naya and had it been her wife, she wouldn't bother ringing the door bell. She'd just walk in and complain that Heather was staining her sheets with her tears.

The blonde smiled as she imagined Naya walking into her bedroom and finding her there. She imagined how they'd argue about how Heather ruined the pillow cases and the bed sheets.

The smile didn't last very long, though.

Heather buried her face in Naya's pillow. It smelled like the brunette, and she didn't want to get away from what makes her feel closest to Naya at the moment. She had long admitted that she was in love with Naya, but she didn't realize that being far away from her would make her feel like this.

Like she was dying.

The persistent ringing of the door bell continued. Heather groaned. The irritating sound was giving her a headache. She could hear the faint sound of someone yelling, but couldn't figure out who it was. Five minutes later, the door bell was still ringing and she realized the person at the door wasn't about to leave her alone.

Reluctantly, the writer got up from Naya's bed and trudged her way downstairs. Upon reaching the end of the stairwell, the voice at the door became clearer.

"Heather, I know you're in there! Open up or I swear I'm calling the cops!" Jenna screamed at the front door. She was getting more frustrated by the second and aside from desperately ringing the door bell, she started banging her fists on the door as well.

She jumped when the door suddenly opened.

Jenna immediately noticed her friend's puffy red eyes and tear-stained face. She followed the blonde as Heather walked back into the house and threw herself on the couch and buried her face on a throw pillow.

Brown eyes traveled from the blonde disheveled hair to crumpled sleeping clothes. It had only been a few days but it was apparent that Heather had lost some weight. Jenna's eyes went about the house and found scattered pieces of pizza boxes and some empty cans of soda on the coffee table and the dining table. She felt sympathy for her friend.

"What happened to you?" Jenna asked softly as she sat on the couch beside Heather.

"Nothing." Heather's voice was muffled as her face remained buried on the pillow.

Jenna tapped her shoulder, nudging her to turn around.

It took a lot more taps before Heather shifted to face her worried friend.

"You didn't come to the studio for days and you didn't even call. You're not taking my calls, and I couldn't reach Naya. So I came to check on you because we're so worried. What's going on?"

"Where's Asher?" Heather wasn't only avoiding eye contact; she was also dodging the prodding questions her friend was asking her.

"Harry's got him. Who's got you?"

The blonde didn't answer. She just stared in space.

Jenna wasn't sure if Heather didn't hear her or was just simply ignoring her. She sighed. She had never seen Heather in this state before. Not even when she called off her wedding with Chord back in the day. Granted, it was her who broke the engagement off, but still.

She had never seen Heather so depressed and miserable. She just looked so vulnerable, so fragile.

"Where's Naya?"

Heather shrugged.

"Did you guys fight again? What is it about this time?"

"We didn't fight. I… I'm not sure, I don't know." Heather looked like she was about to cry again.

"You don't know?" Jenna arched an eyebrow. "You're here moping and your wife's missing."

"She's not missing. She's taking some time." There was a strain in the blonde's voice.

Jenna could sense Heather's fear. It was hard to point out exactly what it was that Heather was scared about. But it definitely had something to do with Naya.

"You guys are okay, right?"

"I hope so."

"What really happened?" Jenna prodded further.

"We didn't fight, okay? We're okay!" Heather yelled in frustration. She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Jenna or herself. But Naya's been gone for days without letting her know where she went. That in itself wasn't okay. Why did Naya choose to stay away from her this long?

Heather kept thinking of what she'd done. Things were getting better in the last few days before she was supposed to leave for Sundance.

Naya asked her not to go.

_But I chose to leave._

"I was supposed to go to Utah, but she didn't want me to go. She asked me not to, but it was work. So I left. I changed my mind the last minute, and when I got back, Naya wasn't home. She just left me a voice mail." Heather's voice cracked. Her eyes welled-up.

Jenna knew about her friend's trip to the Sundance Festival and knew that she didn't go.

"I should have stayed." The writer felt the tears in her eyes that were threatening to fall.

When they did fall, Jenna was fast to scoop her friend into her arms.

"I miss her so much…" Heather sobbed on Jenna's shoulder.

"I know. I'm sure she misses you too." Jenna said, hoping her words were enough to console her friend. She was so crushed, and watching her was heart-wrenching.

Silently, she wished Naya would come back soon.

When Heather checked the mailbox after Jenna had left, she found a big envelope inside.

Her heart dropped when she found what it contained.

It was the deed of her house. There was only one person who could have sent it to her.

_Naya. _

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Heather found herself standing outside of Dianna's boutique in LA. She didn't know who else to ask. She had tried calling some of Naya's friends but they were of much help. Heather told all of them an edited version of them having a 'small' fight.

Kevin said he thought Naya was spending some down time with Heather.

Britt said she hadn't talked to Naya since New Year.

Vanessa was still in Texas finishing up with her film and had no idea where Naya was.

Darren and Lea were both in New York so she didn't bother calling them.

Chris suggested that she call Naya's siblings, but Heather decided against it because she didn't want to alert her in-laws about her current problems with Naya.

The blonde tried to see through the glass window and found a number of people milling about inside. It looked like a busy day. She was hesitant to come in and Dianna was probably busy so she turned around. But before she could climb back into her car, a voice stopped her.

"Heather?"

Letting out a deep sigh, Heather slowly turned around and found Dianna by the door, looking concerned. Well, she did look distraught and the blonde designer sensed that something was wrong.

Heather had never visited the shop before.

Dianna invited her inside and led the blonde writer to her office. She mentioned something about the LA Fashion Week, thus, the amount of people. She locked the door and offered her bestfriend's wife a seat, which Heather gladly took. She offered something to drink, but Heather didn't have time for small talk.

If Heather didn't find Naya soon, she was going to break again. So she started talking, beginning from the day she was supposed to leave for Sundance.

Dianna didn't know that Naya didn't come home after they thought they missed Heather's plane and was shocked to find out that Heather didn't even leave. A look of sympathy crossed the designer's face.

"We were there." Dianna softly said.

"What?"

"Naya chased after you to the airport. I drove her. We saw your plane lift off, and… she cried, you know."

Heather was surprised to find that out. The tears she was holding rolled down her cheeks. Dianna was fast to grab the box of tissues from her table and handed it to Heather. The writer smiled gratefully and pulled a few sheets, dabbing it on her tear-stained cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I just… I don't know how to find her. I know I hurt her for going against her wishes, but this is too much. I miss her too much."

"I don't think she was hurt that you chose to go, Heather." Dianna bit her lower lip. She was sure she wasn't in the position to meddle in her friend's business, but Heather needed to know. If their situations were reversed, she'd want to know.

"What do you mean?" Heather turned a curious look at the designer.

"She was hurt because you were going with Mark."

There was a pause.

"I know that she hated Mark, but I'm working with him. I thought she'd understand."

"Maybe she felt like you were choosing Mark."

"What?" Heather found it ridiculous. Why would Naya think that? She was clear that her trip to Park City, Utah was purely business.

"She didn't just hate Mark. Naya was jealous of Mark, she told me. He has feelings for you, Heather. And they weren't friendly. Why did you think she kicked that soccer ball right into his face and punched him after New Year's Eve?"

So Naya was jealous of Mark. Not because of Dianna like she initially thought. She was actually jealous because of Heather and that was coming from Dianna.

Heather couldn't really be blamed for thinking that the reason why Naya hated Mark's guts was because of the blonde designer. That was how it all started anyway. Who knows exactly when their dynamics changed? Feelings weren't something she talked about with her wife. Both of them avoided mentioning it like the plague. They were in a complicated situation when they were married before they even got to know each other, although the physical attraction, while neither of them would admit it, was so palpably obvious. Feelings were just a whole new different level but they got so comfortable being married.

But everytime they were reminded of the contract, it was easy to believe that everything that they shared was just an act.

There were so many unspoken feelings.

"Look, I've never seen Naya like this before. Not with anyone else. She loves you. But with Mark having feelings for you, and with Naya's insecurities, she may have thought you were choosing Mark when you decided to leave with him instead of staying with Naya like she asked. I know Naya. She's tough when it comes to most things, but when it comes to her feelings, she's absolutely fragile."

"But I don't even care about Mark like that."

"I believe you. But maybe Naya didn't know that."

Heather was surprised when she felt Dianna's arms around her. That was when she started sobbing again, but thankful for Dianna's comforting warmth.

"She doesn't have any secret hiding place. Naya's probably at the ranch, holing up in her room watching reality TV and eating sweets."

"Thank you, Dianna."

Then Heather thought, maybe they could be friends. Maybe she could set aside her own insecurities because Dianna Elise Agron is one great friend.

She couldn't help herself when she held on to Dianna even tighter.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Dianna's prediction was almost accurate.

Indeed, Naya was at the ranch. But instead of watching reality TV, she was watching a marathon of All My Children. She was lounging on the couch with a bowl of ice cream in her hands. Her sister, Nickie, who came back for a brief vacation since she wouldn't be coming home during the semestral break was on the opposite chair, watching her in sympathy.

"Will you ever tell me about it?" Nickie asked.

When she came in that morning, she was surprised to find her sister at the ranch, looking miserable. When she realized Heather wasn't there, she immediately knew what the problem was. At first, she thought it was an ordinary couple's fight, but with the despondent look on Naya's eyes and the fact that she was eating her third bowl of ice cream already, Nickie was starting to get worried.

"Don't wanna." Naya pouted.

Nickie rolled her eyes.

"Well, you've got to talk sometime."

Naya didn't say anything. She just continued eating her ice cream and cried occasionally when a character died or when somebody broke up which was every now and then considering that she was watching soap.

"Did you have a fight with Heather?" Nickie dared to ask.

Naya's eyes watered but didn't respond.

Nickie's heart broke for her sister. It must have been something really serious.

"Everything's going to be fine, Naya."

"How do you know?"

"Because you love each other." Nickie stated as if it was the most simple thing in the world.

"What if she doesn't love me as much as I love her?" The actress lamented.

Nickie quirked an eyebrow.

When Naya ignored her, she realized that her sister wasn't joking with her question.

"Then you must be really stupid."

"What did you say?" Naya looked at her sister with a glare.

"Maybe it's you who doesn't love her as much. You're the one who's hiding here watching soap operas and devouring ice cream like it's the end of the world while your wife sits at home probably freaking out where to find you."

Naya wanted to say something, but nothing came out of her mouth. She turned her eyes away.

"What, you're just going to sit there and wallow on self-pity? Because that's really pathetic." Nickie couldn't help but get annoyed. What was her sister doing? If she was miserable without Heather, then the solution was simply obvious.

Naya had to be with Heather.

The actress let out a deep sigh.

"Just leave me alone, will you?" There wasn't any strength in Naya's voice.

"Oh, I will." The youngest Rivera got up from her seat and grabbed her keys from the coffee table.

Before leaving, Nickie turned back.

"Naya, don't let her go, okay? And don't push her away. If you really love her, then prove it. I wouldn't want to lose my sister-in-law over something trivial as your insecurity."

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

The sound of footsteps jolted Naya from her sleep. She stirred from where she fell asleep on the couch. Her eyes fluttered open, falling on the towering image of her wife which she initially thought was a mere product of her imagination. She had been dreaming of the blonde too much lately that it was hard to separate reality from her daydreams.

"What's this?" Heather was clearly angry as she threw the brown envelope on Naya's direction. It fell on the brunette's stomach.

Fully awake now, Naya sat up and picked the envelope with her right hand. She didn't have to open it to know what was inside. She was the one who mailed it in the first place.

"Uhm, I thought it's pretty obvious." Naya answered calmly. If this was one of their usual senseless banters, she would have argued with her. But this was different. Naya was even surprised at herself that she was able to stay cool and composed.

Seeing Heather again caused her heart to do what felt like cartwheels. She made her want to smile, although that evidently wasn't the blonde's intention for coming over.

"Why did you send me this?" Heather asked in frustration. If she wasn't so mad at Naya, she would have given in to the urge that she felt upon seeing her again.

She wanted to wrap her arms around her wife and kiss her to no end.

But first, Naya had to explain.

Heather had to hear it.

Naya ran a hand through her hair before letting out a deep breath.

"I'm giving you the house back, sweet- Hemo." Naya said.

Heather visibly paled. Her mouth opened to say something back, but couldn't. She was at a loss for words. What was this going to mean for them?

"Just like we agreed." Naya's voice caught up in her throat that it came out like a whisper.

"But-"

"Don't worry about the contract." Naya interrupted before Heather could finish. They still had almost a year left on their contract and Heather was apparently surprised that she was already returning the house.

"I don't care about the fucking house, Naya!" Heather exploded. How could Naya even think about the house? She didn't want the house, she wanted her wife.

Naya jumped at Heather's tone.

"Why did you just disappear?"

"I-" The brunette felt guilty upon seeing the tears that were now slowly trailing down Heather's cheeks. She couldn't bear to see her cry, and it was nobody's fault but hers.

"You didn't tell me where you were! I can't sleep because I keep thinking about you! I was so worried about you!"

Tears were flowing freely from Heather's eyes now. Naya wanted nothing but to wipe them away but she couldn't. She had to keep strong. The brunette got up from the couch and took a few steps away from Heather.

"I'm sorry for causing that. But you don't have to worry about me anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

Naya swallowed the lump the formed in her throat.

"I'm setting you free."

"What?" Heather faltered.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to call my lawyer so he could prepare the divorce papers. We don't have to go through a messy divorce, Hemo. I don't want to drag you into the spotlight. I promise I'll keep it quiet and-"

"Naya…" Heather stared at her wife in disbelief.

"All you have to do is sign them." Naya murmured the last part, her own tears blurring her eyes before it flowed down to her cheeks. She didn't bother to wipe them.

"No!"

"What?"

"I'm not signing anything!"

Naya looked surprised. This wasn't how she expected Heather to react.

"I forced you into this marriage. I didn't give you a choice. It was too much of me to ask you to change your whole life for me. I was selfish, and all I did was hurt you."

Naya wrapped her arms protectively around herself. She forced her eyes to look up, meeting Heather's eyes. Silently, she blamed herself for all the sadness and frustration and anger that she saw there.

"I want you to be happy, Hemo."

_Even if it doesn't mean the same for me._

Heather lifted a hand to the side of her forehead, rubbing at her temple. This wasn't going the way she wanted it to be. It was all going too fast. She could feel her head about to explode.

"Is this what you've been thinking about for the past days that you weren't with me?"

"This isn't easy for me, Hemo."

"Did you honestly think that divorcing me is going to make me happy?"

"Aren't you listening? I'm giving you your freedom. You'll be free to do whatever you want, pursue anyone you want. That's what we agreed upon. I'd be out of your life and you're going to get your father's house back."

More tears flowed from Heather's eyes.

_This isn't happening. _

Heather started pacing. She tried wiping her tears but they kept coming. She wanted to run, she wanted to hide. She wanted this to be a dream so she could wake up. But the pain felt too real to be just a dream. She slumped on the couch and buried her face on her hands.

The blonde's shoulders trembled as the unbridled emotions were manifested through her tears.

"Why are you doing this, Naya?" Heather's voice cracked.

Naya herself couldn't keep her tears at bay. She got on her knees in front of Heather and held her hands, hoping that it would somehow lessen the pain she was causing.

"Because I love you."

Didn't people say that if you love someone, set them free? She wanted to give Heather a choice. She loved Heather, and if she didn't want to be with her, then, she'd accept it.

Because she loves her.

A love that transcends everything. True love. The kind of love that wasn't asking for anything in return. The kind of love that knew sacrifice. Who would have thought Naya would ever feel this way about someone?

Certainly wasn't Naya.

The brunette could not keep herself from touching Heather anymore. Her left hand reached up to brush Heather's cheek.

Slowly, the blonde looked up.

Their eyes met.

"I'm such a coward for not telling you before. But I wasn't sure. I haven't been in love before." Naya interlocked both of her hands with Heather's. "They say love isn't selfish. This is me being selfless."

"Please just… just stop talking." Heather removed her right hand from Naya's grasp and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her in for a kiss.

Naya was completely caught off-guard.

When their lips touched, Heather didn't hesitate, nor did she wait. Her tongue brushed the top of Naya's lip and as soon as the brunette granted access, her tongue shot out to meet her wife's.

The sensation was electric.

As they pulled back for air, Heather pressed her forehead against Naya's, catching her breath. Her right hand was cupping Naya's face, while her other arm was wrapped around Naya's neck. Naya's arms, on the other hand, were around Heather's waist.

"Don't let me go, please… I love you…" Heather whispered against her wife's lips.

Naya felt like she was in heaven just hearing those words come out of Heather's lips. She didn't trust her ears enough but before she could ask to confirm what she just heard and that she wasn't imagining it, Heather dived in and pressed their lips together for another kiss.

Plump lips spread into a smile.

It was hazy how they reached the bedroom whilst kissing and now, Naya was on the bed with Heather on top of her. Somewhere along the way, they both lost their shirts and for the first time, Naya realized she wasn't even wearing a bra. But she wasn't exactly thinking because seriously, that thing Heather was doing with her tongue as her mouth enclosed her right nipple while a hand played with the other was causing Naya's brain to get a little bit haywire.

"Wait…" Naya breathed out, causing Heather to stop with the delicious things she was doing on her breasts.

"What?" Heather's voice was deeper, causing Naya to get a little more flustered than she already was.

Naya cupped her wife's face in her hands. She caressed her cheeks, stroked her hair, and stared up at her, in complete awe.

And with so much love.

"I am _so_ in love with you." Naya knew she was being the sappiest she'd ever been and probably the lamest she sounded, but she didn't care.

She was head-over-heels in love with this woman and she wanted to make sure that she knew.

Heather smiled and leaned down, giving her wife a short peck on the lips.

"I am very much in love with you too."

Without waiting any longer, Heather captured Naya's lips again for the nth time. She tilted her head, deepening the kiss. Naya's right hand found purchase at the back of the blonde's neck, while her left hand reached for the button of Heather's jeans.

Naya unbuttoned it and pulled the zipper down, her fingertips purposely brushing against what felt like a lacy underwear.

"Ohh…" Heather pulled back from the kiss and expelled a breath as she felt the barely-there touch near the most sensitive part of her body.

They hardly even started yet and that kind of touch was already driving Heather crazy.

The blonde didn't realize she had closed her eyes. When she opened them, she found those amazing pair of brown orbs staring up at her, glinting with what she could only describe as love and adoration.

"I love you." Naya said again.

Heather chuckled.

"I'm not deaf, you know. I heard you the first time."

Heather traced Naya's lips with her right index finger, marveling at how soft they felt against her skin. Finally managing to pry her eyes away from her wife's captivating pair, she reconnected their lips again.

"I love you too." The blonde spoke, with her lips hovering a mere centimeter from Naya's. "And I'll never get tired of saying that. But right now, I _really_ don't want to talk, honey."

"Hemo…"

"What?" Heather breathed out as she tried to remain propped up on both her hands, on top of Naya.

"Do you really, uh… do you really want to do this now?" Naya asked, sounding concerned. There wasn't any question that they were officially together now. But despite the fact that they were already married and admitted their love for each other, they hadn't even been on a first real date yet, and although she wanted nothing but to feel Heather in the most intimate way possible, she didn't want to pressure her.

Heather quirked an eyebrow.

"Are you seriously asking me that?" The more they talk, the more Heather was starting to get frustrated. For fuck's sake, they were half-naked already and all Naya had to do was stare at Heather's pupils and she'd get her answer.

"Well…"

Naya looked so shy all of a sudden that Heather found her too adorable. How could you get frustrated with that?

"Babe, I've been dreaming of doing this since seeing you in that red hot bikini by the pool. And we've been married for more than a year now. This honeymoon is long overdue. Imagine how sexually frustrated I am right now. So please, can we stop talking?" Heather sounded whiny as she pleaded.

Naya chuckled.

"Whatever you say, wifey." Naya licked her lips, making them wet.

The sight alone aroused Heather even more.

Their lips met, teeth grazing and tongues exploring each other, like there was some sort of mystery to be solved. Heather felt Naya's hand tugging on her jeans, knowing exactly what the brunette wanted. Without leaving her wife's lips, she shuffled out of the constricting piece of clothing and kicked it off to the floor.

Running out of air, Heather turned her attention on the smooth expanse of Naya's neck. The brunette didn't have to be told. She angled her head to give her wife access. Heather trailed a few butterfly kisses on the skin there before she poked her tongue out, the tip tracing a path from Naya's collarbone up to the back of her earlobe, eliciting a moan from the brunette actress; her right hand tangled in long blonde locks while the other lazily dragged its way down tight, toned abs.

Heather sucked on Naya's pulse point, intent on leaving a mark. Normally, Naya would protest. Hickeys were a pain-in-the-ass to cover. But this was Heather, the love of her life. She could mark her all over if she wanted and the paparazzi could have their field day for all she cared.

The blonde's lips spread into a grin when Naya gasped rather loudly as she teasingly licked, briefly, her wife's left nipple. Spurred on by the reactions she was getting, Heather repeated the action, earning a groan from the actress. She felt Naya's grasp on her hair tightened, but a slightly painful scalp wasn't really a concern for the writer right now.

All she wanted was to keep hearing her wife's gasps and moans.

She wanted Naya to scream her name.

And she was going to make sure it happens.

Heather full-on sucked on her wife's breast, her tongue swirling with Naya's now erect nipple as her hand made its way down south. Her fingertips created a trail of fire on Naya's skin as they played at the waistband of Naya's boxer shorts. She wanted nothing but to feel what was underneath it, but not yet. She wanted to tease first. She wanted to prolong this. She wanted to get acquainted with every part of Naya and remember every moment of this.

Heather continued her exploration lower, causing Naya to arch her upper body when her tongue made contact and licked her belly button. She dragged her hand even lower, palming her wife's still covered center.

"Oh god, Hemo…"

Heather looked up and found her flustered wife, eyes closed and her facial expression, a mix of pleasure and agony. She was aware that she was being too slow. Wanting to give what her wife so obviously needed, Heather slipped a hand into the waistband of Naya's shorts, causing a jolt on Naya's part and a gasp of Heather's own as her hand made contact with Naya's incredibly wet center.

Blue eyes locked with a pair of now lust-filled browns.

Heather hooked her fingers on the waistband of Naya's shorts and slowly, she pulled it down, along with the underwear. The blonde found herself staring down with her mouth open at the brunette's glistening core. Naya shuddered as she felt her wife's warm breath on her center.

Forgetting all her plans of going slow, Heather dropped her head down. Just Naya's scent was enough to drive her wild and without further ado, the writer began her mission to make her scream. At the initial swipe of Heather's tongue, Naya's body jerked. Heather hummed in satisfaction when, for the first time, she tasted what it was like being intimate with her wife.

Her tongue shot out again, this time, with a purpose. Teasingly, she circled her wife's clit, eliciting a couple of moans. With one hand, she spread one of Naya's legs so she could have more room in-between them. One of Naya's hands were clutching tightly on the bed sheets while the other which was previously gently stroking her blonde hair was now at the back of Heather's head, forcing her down.

Heather grinned at her wife's impatience.

Needless to say, she obliged.

"Ohhh, mmmm, that's… baby…."

At the top of her eyelids, as Heather continued sucking on her wife's clit, she watched Naya with adoration. She felt her desire building even higher at the pit of her stomach, down to her own center. Her lips enclosed Naya's most sensitive bundle of nerves and as she pulled gently, the brunette arched her body again.

"Mmmm, Hemo, I need… oh!" Naya could barely form any coherent thought as the blonde continued her assault on her center.

But while all of that was amazing in itself, she needed more.

Heather understood.

Coating her fingers with her wife's wetness, she first rubbed them over Naya's wet folds before pushing a finger in. At this point, Naya could barely speak, and when she reached down for the blonde's fingers, Heather immediately knew what her wife was asking her to do.

She added one finger, and the way Naya's head thrashed in every direction as she pumped her fingers in and out was a clear enough indication that Heather was doing it right. She felt tanned legs tensed on both sides of her face. Naya searched for Heather's free hand and when she found it, intertwined them, and it didn't matter how awkward their angle was. Her other hand tangled with Heather's hair, grasping tightly as she neared her orgasm. Figuring this, Heather increased her pace as she continued thrusting her fingers into her wife's core, at the same time, placing open mouthed kisses on Naya's clit before sucking on it again.

And that did it. Naya screamed Heather's name.

Fireworks exploded beneath her eyelids as Naya's body trembled.

Heather kept plunging her fingers into Naya, albeit more gentle this time, helping her ride out her orgasm as she watched her.

She had never seen anything so beautiful.

And then something caught her eye.

Down, inches from Naya's bellybutton and just below her bikini-line, a little to the right and strategically inked inside the 'v' of her thighs that was often concealed by underwear or bikini, was a really small tattoo; the sixth tattoo. It was a really small, a really tiny one that you wouldn't notice immediately unless you stared.

Confused that her wife stopped with her ministrations, Naya looked down and found her wife staring at something down there.

"Baby…" Naya husked.

"What?" Heather croaked.

"What are you doing?" Naya was torn between being amused and being annoyed.

"I'm just looking at-"

"Are you seriously checking out my tattoo in the middle of this? If you think we're done, then you must be delusional. We're just getting started." She arched an eyebrow.

Completely forgetting that she herself was soaked down there, Heather couldn't help but grin.

Heather just solved the mystery of the sixth.

A Chinese character that, if she remembered correctly, meant 'soulmate'.

The blonde was too busy gloating in her own world that Naya just couldn't wait anymore. She flipped their positions, surprising Heather, but she wasn't about to complain. With speed, she ripped Heather's panties off of her, grinning upon seeing how drenched her wife was.

Naya crawled on top of her wife and leaned down, capturing her lips in a kiss. Her hand groped Heather's breasts as her lips moved to the blonde's ears, sucking on her earlobe. A tanned thigh was wedged in-between Heather's and she moaned upon feeling how soaked her wife was.

"Naya, oh my… ohhhhhh…" Heather whimpered as her wife started grinding her thigh against her core.

"What do you want, babe?" Naya grumbled sexily on Heather's ear.

"You…" Heather breathed out. "I want you…" Heather grabbed Naya's ass, in an attempt to align her against her own center. She could feel her wife's hot and still soaking core rubbing on one of her thighs.

Naya's eyes never left Heather's as she lifted one of her wife's legs and hooked it on her arm so she could position herself in-between. There was a simultaneous gasp as their centers connected, clits pressing against each other. The actress grinded her hips and created a slow rhythm.

As Naya jutted her hips downward, Heather arched her body up to meet her thrusts. It didn't take very long for their pace to change. The sound of the creaking bed filled the room, obscuring the curses that flowed freely from Heather's lips. Naya grated her hips faster and harder. It showed how much they yearned for each other; proved just how much they needed each other. More than air. More than anything else in the world. It was passionate, wild even as they let go of themselves, acting on feelings felt although ignored from the very first day they met.

Naya watched as Heather let herself go, screaming Naya's name, her body shaking uncontrollably as her eyes closed, eyeballs rolling to the back of her head.

Like Heather, she had never seen anything so beautiful before.

She felt all kinds of things. First and foremost, her heart was about to burst from happiness. There was fear, unjustified but still. She continued pumping her hips, feeling her own orgasm approach, unaware of the fire she was reigniting on her wife's core. Surrendering herself, heart, body and soul to someone, that was something she had never done before. It was petrifying. Yet the fear seemed insignificant when she was reminded of the reason of them all: Heather, her wife.

For the second time, Naya screamed Heather's name as her orgasm hit her in full force. Heather came for the second time, screaming along with her, their bodies shaking violently. Naya collapsed on top of her wife, fully sated yet completely exhausted.

A few minutes later, Naya woke up in a messy tangle of limbs beside her wife.

When she looked up, she found amused eyes, watching her.

"Finally. I thought I was going to wait 'til morning." Heather joked. She ran a hand through dark locks before leaning in for a short kiss.

"Hey…" Naya greeted, but turning completely red at how rough her voice sounded.

For a few minutes, they just lay there staring at each other. Naya was first to speak.

"I'm sorry that I had to hurt you first before I realize how head-over-heels I am in love with you."

Heather gave her a reassuring smile.

"I wasn't any better." Heather wrapped her hand tighter on Naya's back and pulled her even closer to her body. "Don't ever leave again, okay? I may not be so forgiving next time."

"I can't believe we've waited this long to do that. It's just… wow! Imagine all of the amazing sex we could have had!" Naya stared dreamily into Heather's eyes, causing the blonde to chuckle.

"You're cute… But I prefer to call it lovemaking." Heather emphasized, booping Naya's nose.

"Yeah?" Naya smiled bashfully. Just the word 'lovemaking' made her feel giddy.

Head-over-heels must be an understatement of how she felt for Heather. There wasn't a right or perfect word in the dictionary.

"Yeah."

"Me too. I love making love to you. So… are you up for another round, or…?" The brunette stared hopefully at her wife.

"Aren't you tired?" Heather arched an eyebrow.

"Tired? Babe, we've got to make up for lost time." Naya grinned and before Heather could protest, Naya was on top of her again, giving her the most amazing kiss.

The two got distracted in a full make-out session before Heather remembered that she wanted to talk. Naya let out a frustrated groan when Heather pulled back.

"Noooo. Come back here." Naya pouted.

Heather giggled.

"As much as I want to keep doing this all day, we need to talk."

Naya frowned.

"That never sounds good."

"Honey, it's not bad, I can assure you that. But there are things that we need to discuss and sort out."

"Okay." Naya said, sounding cautious.

Heather intertwined her right hand with Naya's, just so she could appease her. A small smile formed in the brunette's face.

"I didn't go to Utah."

"What?" Naya was surprised.

"I was at the airport, but then I realized that I can't be away from you so I came rushing back home, only to find you gone. For days, I was a weeping mess. I didn't know where to find you. Then you sent me that deed and I knew I had to see you."

"How did you find me?"

"I talked to Dianna."

Heather paused in contemplation before she continued.

"At first, I didn't want to go to her. I know she's your bestfriend, and she's really nice, but… I've always been jealous of what you had or have with her. All this time, I wasn't sure about how you feel about her. I mean, you did love her-"

"It wasn't the romantic kind. I know that now. I was so protective of her, because she is my bestfriend, and I misinterpreted that to mean something more." Naya reassured her wife.

Heather smiled.

"Me too." Heather reached up to tuck a stray dark hair behind Naya's ear. "Then she told me that you were jealous of Mark."

Naya's expression hardened at the mention of her former friend.

"He was never a threat, Naya. I was going to Sundance for purely business reasons. I considered him a friend, and what I had with him aside from friendship is strictly professional."

Naya didn't say anything.

"I love you, Naya. You're the one I've been waiting for my whole life. Nothing, and _no one_, could ever come between us. I decided to stop working with Mark, but after we finish this movie with Flower Films. And I want to know now, will you be okay with that?"

The brunette lay in silence, pondering about what Heather said. She trusted Heather fully, but she had no trust left for Mark. But this was her wife's career. It was taking off. She was fortunate to nab this opportunity with Drew Barrymore and she fully supported her. She wasn't going to stand in the way of her success.

"I can't have you marching into set and punching the lights out of him, although I find your tough exterior definitely hot." Heather playfully winked at her wife.

Naya giggled, and then rolled her eyes.

"I trust you." She smiled. Naya lifted their intertwined hands, kissing the back of Heather's. That was when she noticed something.

Heather was wearing their wedding ring, but the engagement ring was missing. She used to wear both of them before. Out of curiosity, Naya asked.

"Did you lose your ring, babe?"

Heather immediately knew what ring Naya was referring to. Had Naya asked her that before all of this, she would have felt jealous and insecure. But now, she felt confident because that ring meant nothing anymore. And besides, she was wearing Naya's wedding ring.

What more could she ask for?

"I don't really like wearing what isn't mine." Heather smiled.

Naya smiled back. One of these days, she was going to get Heather her own engagement ring. She giggled at the thought.

"What?" Heather quirked an eyebrow.

"Nothing, just… we've got our whole love story in reverse."

Heather chuckled.

"You know that I'm all yours now, right?" Naya asked.

"Well, you better be because I don't like sharing you." Heather warned playfully.

"Let's stay here for a few days."

"I'd love to, but I didn't bring any clothes, honey."

"What would you need them for?" Naya wiggled her eyebrows.

Heather rolled her eyes.

"If we're going to stay in a few days, I'm going to need at least some."

"Babe, we've got water, chocolates, and energy drink. It's _everything_ we need. I don't plan on getting out of bed until necessary."

"What if I need to get some fresh air? As much as I love your family members, I don't want them to walk in on us and catch me on my birthday suit."

"No one's walking in on us. I'm calling grandma to keep everyone else to stay away from the ranch house because we'd be too busy making babies. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't complain."

"Oh my god!"

"What the-" Naya, still on top of Heather, shot a glare on the direction of the door upon hearing that familiar yelp. She tried to conceal hers and her wife's naked bodies with a pillow, which barely reached their legs.

Her sister Nickayla was standing at the door with her eyes wide and mouth open.

Why didn't she close that door again?

Right, she was too busy taking off her wife's shirt.

"You're naked!" Nickie covered her eyes with her hands, but was still peeking every now and then.

Heather's cheeks and ears were beet red. Embarrassed, she hid her face in the crook of Naya's neck. She was just talking about this not too long ago.

"Good observation, genius. What the hell are you still doing standing there? Get out of here!"

"I'm sorry! Grandma wanted me to check on you!" Nickie should have known better upon seeing Heather's Subaru parked outside. But she thought they were just talking things out, not having make-up sex.

"I'm a married woman, I don't need a babysitter! Why didn't you even knock?" Naya could feel her wife squirming underneath her. She didn't know whether to laugh or continue being annoyed at her sister.

"Well, I was trying to call you but I guess you were too busy doing- never mind. I'm out of here. Oh gosh, I'm scarred for life!" Nickie ran out of the house. But before she could close the door, she called one last time.

"By the way, nice boobs, Heather!"

Then they heard the door being slammed.

Heather and Naya exchanged looks, both looking flustered in embarrassment at what just transpired. Then they burst out laughing.

At dawn, when Heather was asleep, Naya picked up her iPhone and logged in to her twitter account.

She smiled at her wife before finally tweeting what she typed.

** NayaRivera**

Te amare toda mi vida, Heather Elizabeth Morris-Rivera.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

**ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT! :-)**

Not as long as most of the chapters, but I didn't want to prolong the agony and I felt HeYa had suffered enough already with all the frustrations, including the sexual frustration, for a very long time now.

Okay, so **there's going to be an Epilogue**, if you're still interested. ;-)

I'd surely miss writing this fic. I hope I made you smile. The most favorite scene I'd written would be that part when Naya first mentioned Andres and Sofia and Heather saying that it was too bad they were never going to have them. It was sort of heartbreaking, I thought. And also, I liked that part when Heather drew the ring on Naya's finger. And when Naya did 'The Naya Dance'. And of course the bathtub scene when Heather passed out and Naya was all worked up. Haha.

Tell me yours. :-)

**'TIL NEXT CHAPTER! **


	13. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

"Ready?"

_Naya heard the famous voice on her earpiece. She stood fidgeting in front of One Times Square in Manhattan. Her friend Darren was standing next to her with his guitar strapped around his shoulders, waving at some fans that were being kept at a distance by tons of security people. People were watching them eagerly and curiously. _

_Brown eyes flickered up at the electronic billboards where she saw herself, wringing her hands and looking uncharacteristically nervous. _

"I think I'm not the only one who's curious to know what married life is like for someone who used to be called Hollywood's most notorious playgirl."

_The actress heard the voice speak again. _

"_You're interviewing me, seriously?" Naya spoke loud enough to be picked up by the button-sized, wireless microphone attached to the front of her blouse. _

"Well, this is my TALK show and you're my guest. What am I supposed to do?"

_There was a collective laughter from the crowd. _

_Naya could still feel her heart hammering loudly against her chest, but she couldn't help but laugh with them. Playfully, she rolled her eyes. _

"_Ellen, you're not really helping." Naya said to Ellen Degeneres who she could hear snickering on the other line. The famous host was apparently enjoying watching her squirm as the show televised her planned proposal. She did ask for the TV show host's help, and Ellen timed it with her show's anniversary episode. _

_Naya just didn't anticipate it was going to be this big. _

_Not that Heather deserved anything less. _

_Naya was nervous as hell. Who would have thought proposing to someone you're already married to could still be scary?_

"You look like you're about to puke." _Ellen playfully taunted her guest. _

_There was laughter again._

"_Just make sure she's here before I pass out." Naya said. She ran a hand on top of her right pocket to make sure the small box was still inside. She let out a sigh of relief upon feeling the small bulge. _

_Just then, a video feed of Heather replaced Naya's image on the electronic billboards. The blonde was walking somewhere in Manhattan. _

_Naya's lips spread into a huge smile. _

_She felt the nudge on her left side._

"_Why are you so nervous? It's not like Heather's going to say no." Darren chuckled at the way his friend was acting. _

"_She COULD say no." _

"_Even if she does, which is highly unlikely, you guys are already married."_

_Even though Darren was right, the thought still petrified Naya. This was, after all, the first time she was really going to propose to Heather and no one except the two of them knew that. She didn't want to fumble with words and embarrass herself and Heather for the rest of the world to see. _

"_Have you tried proposing to anyone before?" Naya narrowed her eyes at him. _

"_No."_

"_So then shut up and leave me in peace." Naya said, sounding annoyed. She wasn't annoyed at her friend. She was just really anxious waiting for her cue. _

_Darren just shook his head in amusement and waited for Ellen's instructions. He gave the actress a friendly and reassuring pat on her shoulder before going back to charming his fans. _

_A few blocks away, Heather was walking with her new business partner and long-time friend, Ashley Lendzion. When Naya told her they were going to New York for Ellen's anniversary episode, she asked Ashley to come along so they could work on their new short film project. _

"_Ash, what are you doing?" Heather quirked an eyebrow, unsure when Ashley managed to whip out that small camera on her hands that were now pointed at her. _

"_Filming, obviously." Ashley slyly grinned. _

"_I thought we're just scouting locations." _

"_It's for Snuts."_

_Heather chuckled in amusement. _

"_I still have no idea why people watch that."_

"_Hey, we're hilarious. Especially when you do that derp face of yours." _

"_Whatever. Try not to trip and- watch out!" Heather yelped, closing her eyes as she did. _

_Just in time, Ashley managed to maneuver herself away from the post that she almost ran into. _

_Slowly, Heather opened her eyes again, sighing in relief upon seeing her friend still standing upright and with that annoying smirk plastered on her face. _

"_Just cut it off, Ash." Heather rolled her eyes at her friend who continued filming her. "I don't want to be calling my wife from the ER to tell her my friend injured herself for being such a dummy." _

"_Do you like being Naya's wife?" Ashley sneakily asked. _

"_What kind of question is that? I LOVE being Naya's wife. I'd marry her again if I could. And in my next life. And in my life after that." Heather smiled bashfully. _

"_Aww, you're so cute." Ashley teased._

_Heather felt the warmth that spread on her cheeks and ears. Ashley turned a corner and Heather followed. _

_The blonde stopped on her tracks._

_A thick crowd of people gathered around the old Times Building, now One Times Square. Before Heather could ask Ashley what was going on in there, she heard the strumming of the guitar._

_And then her wife started singing. _

_When she looked up, she saw Naya on the electronic billboards, performing. _

You by the light

Is the greatest find

In a world full of wrong

You're the thing that's right

Finally made it through the lonely

To the other side

_Silently, Heather wondered. She was quite sure Times Square wasn't the venue of Ellen's anniversary episode. And Naya didn't even mention she was going to be singing and that Darren was going to be performing with her. _

You set it again, my heart's in motion

Every word feels like a shooting star

I'm at the edge of my emotions

Watching the shadows burning in the dark

And I'm in love

And I'm terrified

For the first time and the last time

In my only life

_Heather stood watching proudly. She just couldn't contain the joy and pride in her heart. _

_The blonde's jaw dropped in surprise as the thick crowd parted like the Red Sea, revealing Naya and Darren. She didn't know what to do until she felt Ashley gently pushing her forward. Upon seeing her wife smile at her, she reluctantly took the steps towards the brunette. _

And this could be good

It's already better than that

And nothing's worse

Than knowing you're holding back

I could be all that you need

If you let me try

You set it again, my heart's in motion

Every word feels like a shooting star

I'm at the edge of my emotions

Watching the shadows burning in the dark

And I'm in love

And I'm terrified

For the first time and the last time

In my only life

_There was a shower of rose petals as Heather walked through Times Square. _

_A few steps away from Naya, the blonde writer stopped._

I only said it 'cause I mean it

I only mean it 'cause it's true

So don't you doubt what I've been dreaming

'Cause it fills me up and holds me close whenever I'm without you

You set it again, my heart's in motion

Every word feels like a shooting star

I'm at the edge of my emotions

Watching the shadows burning in the dark

_Naya took the last few steps to her wife, closing their distance. _

And I'm in love

And I'm terrified

For the first time and the last time

In my only life

_Naya never took her eyes away from Heather the whole time she was singing, and now that the song was over, she was still staring at her lovingly._

_There was complete silence as they stood in front of each other, smiling. _

"_Babe, you're supposed to be on the Ellen show." Heather reached up with her right hand, caressing her wife's cheek. She always felt the need to touch Naya whenever they were near each other. _

"_I am." Naya smiled. "We are, honey." She was visibly nervous and was trying to hide it. _

_Heather turned her eyes up to the electronic billboards and felt embarrassed all of a sudden to see herself._

"_Oh, did I walk through a shot? I'm sorry, I could-" The blonde was about to turn around and walk away when she felt Naya tugging at her hand. _

"_Honey…" Naya looked at her reassuringly. _

_Heather looked curiously at her wife. She then looked around. _

"_Uh, what's going on?" _

_Naya interlocked her hand with Heather's and squeezed before answering. _

"_I want the world to know how much I love you."_

_Heather slightly blushed. It was still unbelievable to her that they were together now, for real. And everytime Naya tells her that she loves her, it felt like it was the first time. _

"_I found you when I wasn't even looking. Before you, I never knew what real happiness is like. I wasn't really living. You asked me once when did I realize I'd fallen in love with you, and I told you I didn't know. But this morning, when I woke up to you and my eyes found yours, I remembered."_

_Naya paused as she let her mind revisit the memories of their first meeting. _

"_It was the first time that our eyes met. Do you remember? I got lost in those pair of blues. I fell hard and never really recovered since then, although I didn't know how to define how I felt at that time. It was all new to me. I think we were having a moment then, but of course I had to ruin it. I'm good at ruining moments. It's what I do."_

_Heather chuckled. Looking back to the day when they first met, they did lock eyes before all the hilarious 'accidents' happened. She remembered that jolt in her heart upon seeing Naya for the first time. _

"_Baby, I know how much you love in-bed proposals, but I'm not satisfied of the way I 'proposed' the last time and I really just want to marry you again anyway. I'm SO in love with you I can't even describe how happy I am. So I'm doing this here and now."_

_Naya got on her knee and lifted the small, black, velvet box that had been stuffed in the pocket of her pants. She opened it, revealing a very beautiful ring. _

_Heather's mouth formed in an 'o'. _

"_I'm offering you everything that I am. I'm warning you though that I'm not much of a catch being the impatient, stubborn, annoying, imperfect person that you know me to be. But if you take me, I promise, and I'm going to make sure that I will spend the rest of my life making you happy, the way you do to me." Naya felt her eyes watering as she spoke the words. Her hands shook as she lifted the small box for her wife to see. _

"_Oh my god, babe, I'm wearing sweats and you're proposing to me on national TV!" Heather worried as she remembered how she was dressed. Well, it wasn't her fault. Ashley did tell her they were just going to find locations for their next short film. She didn't realize that her conniving business partner, and close friend was scheming with Naya. _

_Naya chuckled nervously. _

"_You always looked so beautiful, sweetheart."_

_Pause. _

_Naya swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking again. _

"_Heather Elizabeth Morris-Rivera, love of my life, my soulmate, will you marry me?"_

_Heather stared at Naya in disbelief. Sure they were already married, but how they got there wasn't romantic. But this one, this was real. Naya was down on one knee and offering her a ring. This is where they were really going to begin. _

_Naya was pledging herself, ready to commit._

_So was Heather. _

_Heather was crying her tears of joy that she couldn't get her answer out. _

_Naya was fidgeting inside at the amount of time her wife was taking to respond. _

"_Even if you say no, you know that you'd still be married to me anyway, right?" Naya looked uneasy as she waited for her wife's answer. _

"_Naya."_

"_What?"_

"_Don't ruin the moment."_

_Everybody laughed. _

_Naya heard Ellen snorting in her earpiece. _

"_Yes. Of course, I will marry you! It's the only answer!" _

_Heather felt her heart jump as Naya slid in her first and real engagement ring. As soon as Naya stood up, she grabbed the collar of her blouse and pulled her in for a long, mind-blowing kiss… _

"Aww. You're like a love sick puppy when you miss her."

Kevin's voice didn't surprise Naya. She did hear him walk into her trailer while she was watching the five-year old proposal clip on Ellen's YouTube channel in her laptop. It had been a week since the last time she'd seen her family. She was filming the Justice League movie where she'd be donning her Batwoman costume for the last time and they were on a tight schedule. She could barely sneak in some time to see her family and Kevin was right on when he said that she misses Heather. But Heather wasn't the only one she was missing.

"Not just her."

Kevin smiled knowingly.

"How's my favorite god-son?"

A huge smile formed on Naya's face after hearing her friend talk about her first-born.

"Hard to restrain. He's running everywhere and everyone has to keep an eye on him 24/7. Last week, he started climbing the stairs, I had to chase him."

"No doubt he's your son, then."

Naya chuckled.

"I'm sure he's tiring the hell out of my parents right now."

"They're staying with your parents?" Kevin sat on the couch as Naya swiveled her chair around to face her agent/friend.

"It's Hemo's month and I don't want them to be alone in the house just in case she gives birth earlier than expected, you know. And besides, we decided to have our baby at the family hospital in Valencia."

"Naya Rivera, family woman. Who would have thought?"

"Morris-Rivera." Naya corrected with a smile.

"Right." Kevin smiled back.

Naya seemed to be lost in thought for a while.

"This all feels too good to be true, bee."

"What do you mean?" He looked curiously at his friend.

"I don't know what I did to deserve all of this, you know. To deserve _them_."

"Believe it or not, you are a good person, Naya. You and Heather totally deserve each other."

Naya recalled the time she found out they were having their first baby.

_Naya had just wrapped up a scene and was so glad to be heading back to her trailer after a 16-hour shoot. Her muscles were aching due to the demanding fight scenes and she was way beyond tired. She had been fitting training, working out and filming in her schedule that she barely saw her wife. _

_Fortunately, the third and final sequel of Batwoman would be done filming in a few days and she couldn't wait to go back into Heather's arms. _

_The actress grabbed a plastic bottle of Gatorade on her way back. She entered her trailer and just as she was about to pass out in her bed, her jaw dropped on the floor, along with the bottle. _

_Her wife was in her trailer, sitting on top of her bed in a sexy, suggestive position, wearing a sultry look on her face and nothing but her red hot Victoria's Secret lingerie. _

_Naya gulped. _

_There was a sudden knocking on her trailer door. _

"_Ms. Rivera, is everything okay?" It was the PA. She probably heard the loud thud that the bottle of Gatorade made on the floor. _

_Heather displayed that sexy smirk of hers, daring her wife to answer the door. _

"_I'm fine! Don't worry!" She watched as the blonde strutted her way towards her, swaying her hips more than necessary. _

_Naya's throat felt suddenly dry. _

_She rushed to the door. _

"_Are you sure because-"_

"_Hey, uhm, could you push my schedule a little? Maybe three hours, my wifey's here." Naya said, slightly opening the door, making sure that the PA wouldn't see anything even if she tried to look inside. She felt her wife move in behind her. _

"_I'll let you be on top." Heather husked in Naya's ear, causing a shiver. _

_Naya cleared her throat. _

"_Uhm, five hours?" Naya amended, hoping that the PA did not notice the tremble of anticipation in her voice. _

_Heather said something on her ear again._

"_You can wear the toy." The blonde purposely made it loud enough for the PA to hear. _

_The production assistant standing by the trailer door turned beet red and Naya was sure the girl was just as embarrassed – although not as turned on – as she was right now. _

_Naya's face felt hot. _

_PA girl cleared her throat. _

"_Uh…"_

"_Just tell everyone I'm not getting out of my trailer until tomorrow. Anyone who disturbs me or so much as knocks is seriously going to die." Before the PA could answer, Naya had already slammed the door close._

_Several positions and multiple orgasms later, both Heather and Naya lay plastered on the bed. The blonde was curled up on Naya's side, and the brunette had her arms protectively around her wife. _

"_Wow." Heather breathed out. _

"_Yeah, wow." Naya chuckled. _

"_Mmm… babe, you're going to have to give me a minute to recover because that was THE most fantastic orgasm I've ever had in my life."_

"_It's okay. Take all the time that you need, sweetheart. I'll be here when you wake up." Naya gave her a wife a kiss on her forehead._

"_You just got me pregnant." Heather seriously stated. _

_Naya chuckled again. _

"_Wouldn't that be awesome?" The brunette actress grinned._

_They both laughed._

_Heather pulled back a little and ran her hands on her wife's dark locks. _

"_I am, you know."_

"_Huh?" Naya asked absent-mindedly. Their previous activities exhausted her more but she was fighting sleep because she just loved listening to her wife's voice. _

_Pause,_

"_I'm pregnant."_

_Naya's eyes widened. She pulled back a little to be able to look at her wife. Her eyes met those familiar pair of blues._

"_I'm having your baby."_

_Naya just lay there, staring at her._

"_Babe, please say something because you're starting to scare me."_

"_Oh my god, you're not joking."_

"_I'm assuming that you're taking this positively?"_

"_What? Of course! I'm so happy, oh my god, we're finally having a baby!" _

"_Yes, we are having a baby."_

_The brunette's eyes traveled down to her wife's stomach. There wasn't any visible change, but knowing that there was a life growing inside of it, her heart swelled with joy. She reached down and caressed Heather's stomach gently._

"_We're having a baby." Naya spoke up, still in awe. All those trials, all those money spent, it finally paid off. _

"_Yes honey, we are."_

"_Oh my god." Naya teared up, the reality of it all finally sinking in. She was smiling, but tears of joy were streaming down her face. Her wife's hands cup her face and forced her to look at her. When their eyes met, she found blue eyes with tears as well._

"_We're going to be a complete family."_

"_I'm so happy. You made me so happy." Naya sobbed._

"_No. YOU made me happy." _

"_I love you."_

"_I love you too, Naya."_

_Then Naya slid lower, untangling herself from her wife. She leveled her head with Heather's stomach. The blonde watched as the actress stared at her flat abs, and then leaned down, pressing her ear against her stomach as if to listen for any sound. _

_Heather watched in amusement as her wife caressed her abs and placed soft, butterfly kisses on top of it. _

"_Hello babies, this is your mama."_

"_Babies?" Heather arched an eyebrow._

"_Well, grandma's going to hurt me if I didn't knock you up with twins."_

_Heather laughed. She stroke her wife's brunette hair with her hands. _

"_That's not true." _

"_Mama can't wait to see you Andres and Sofia." Naya cooed on her wife's abs. _

"_Honey, I don't want to burst your bubble, but you know that there's a bigger possibility that we're not having twins, right?" _

_Naya kissed Heather's stomach again._

"_I know. But I can dream." The brunette smiled. She looked back up at her wife, not bothering to go back to her previous position. Now that she knew about the growing baby in her wife's tummy, she just wanted to be close to him, or her. Or both. _

_Naya reached for one of Heather's hands that were still brushing her hair and intertwined it with one of her own. _

"_That's why you came all the way here? You wanted to tell me the good news?"_

"_Well, that, and I really missed you."_

_Naya smiled widely. _

"_I miss you too. But you shouldn't have traveled so far. You should have just called me and I would have come to you. You're having our baby, sweetheart. I'd battle storms just to get to you."_

"_I wanted to tell you in person. And don't be so paranoid. I'm just pregnant, not invalid."_

_Naya stopped in thought. _

_Heather wondered what her wife was thinking. _

"_I wasn't so rough, was I? I didn't hurt the baby with all those, uh… you know." Naya blushed at the memory of the previous lovemaking. _

_Heather chuckled at how adorable her wife was being. _

"_Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean we can't make love. I mean, the doctor even told me that I'd probably crave for more of you because of my hormones. Better make sure you can keep up with me then." Heather winked at her wife; her lips forming into a huge grin._

"_Are you challenging me? I think you're the one who should be worried about keeping up." Naya joked. _

_They both laughed. _

_Months later, Addicus Andres Morris-Rivera was born._

It was late when Naya parked her Range Rover outside her parents' home in Valencia. She tiptoed into the house as silently as possible, knowing everybody was already asleep. Her first stop was the guest room that had been turned into a child's bedroom.

Quietly and carefully, she pushed the door open.

There in the room dimly lit by the bedside lamp, she could make out the small figure of her son Andres sprawled on the bed, sleeping peacefully. The little brunette boy had the tendency to kick everything off the bed, and tonight wasn't an exception. He had already kicked his blanket off.

Naya smiled.

She walked to her child's bedside and picked up the blanket. She tucked her son in and sat there, watching him sleep for a moment.

Andres was growing up so fast.

_Just like the previous years, Heather and Naya would be spending Christmas vacation with Naya's parents in Valencia, but this time, they had an addition to the bunch. _

_It was Andres' first Christmas._

"_Oh gosh, he's so adorable. He looks just like you, Heather." Nickie gushed about her nephew who was giggling in her arms. It was the first time she'd seen Andres since she wasn't able to come home when Heather gave birth. Her schedule had been so hectic lately, especially when she started law proper. _

"_Unbelievable, right?" Naya looked on proudly at her laughing son. _

_Andres was tugging at her Auntie Nickie's long hair and the future lawyer wasn't minding it at all. _

"_Thank god he only got your hair." Connor Bradford joked. _

_Naya rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress the smile. She fixed her eyes on her son, who seemed to have developed people skills. At one year, he was so good at charming people already. _

_Maybe he got that from his godmother, Dianna. _

_Connor was right. Andres only got Naya's hair color._

_But Naya was okay with that because as Andres grew older, he was starting to look like her wife. _

_When Heather agreed to be the one to carry their children, she agreed on one condition: that they'd be using Naya's egg to be fertilized by the sperm donor. They went through a rigorous search to find a donor that would have the closest similarities with Heather. From the file that they got, their donor shared the same ethnicity as Heather, same hair and eye color. He was also an artist, not a dancer, but a band guitarist. _

_It was truly incredible. _

"_You know, I don't really see what my sister found in you. I mean, you're like the biggest man-child I've ever seen in my entire life." Naya said, purposely messing with Connor who was so used to her teasing. _

"_Oh, but you love me." Connor winked._

"_Eww." Naya shivered. _

_Connor, Nickie and Heather laughed. _

_It had been a few months since Nickie and Connor started dating, to everyone's surprise. They started hanging out together when Connor moved to New York, and things bloomed from there. _

"_Hey little buddy! Come to Uncle Mychal!" The new doctor joined their group and took Andres from Nickie just when Naya was about to._

_Naya threw an annoyed look at her brother. She barely had the chance to hold her son since arriving at her parents' home earlier that day. Grandma had monopolized Andres, and when it wasn't her, it was Yolanda or George. Now add Nickie and Mychal and all the other Bradfords, with the exception of Angela who's already married and spending the holiday's with her wife's family, and Jared, who's overseas with his girlfriend. _

_Heather wrapped an arm around her wife's waist and pulled her closer. She softly kissed her on the cheek and then smiled reassuringly at her. _

"_Tell me I'm your favorite uncle." Mychal tickled his nephew's chest, causing him to giggle uncontrollably. _

_Heather smiled as she watched her son interact comfortably with other people. _

"_He's going to be a heartbreaker." Nickie remained watching her nephew adoringly. Connor reached for her hand and lightly squeezed it. The youngest Rivera turned her attention from Andres to her boyfriend and gave him a smile. _

"_Unfortunately, one of the few things he's getting from Naya." Connor smirked at Naya. _

"_You're threading on thin ice, Bradford." Naya playfully narrowed her eyes at Connor. _

_He just shrugged. _

"_Now where is my favorite grandchild?" _

_Every heads turned as grandma walked into the living room where everybody was gathered around the Morris-Rivera's little bundle of joy. _

"_I'm here, grandma." Naya grinned at Maria._

_Grandma frowned at the actress._

"_Not you." Without saying anything further, grandma took Andres from Mychal. "Hello, Andres. Are these people scaring you?" She cooed as she brought him to the couch with her. _

_Mychal and Nickie exchanged amused looks. _

_Heather chuckled at the hard-to-determine expression on her wife's face. _

_While she was all of a sudden downgraded to a non-favorite, Naya couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips upon watching her grandmother with her son. It was fun to watch Maria baby-talking with Andres. _

_They were fun to watch. _

_Connor, Mychal and Nickie headed to the dining room upon hearing Yolanda calling them for dinner, leaving Heather and Naya on the living room. They remained standing and leaning against and holding each other as they waited for grandma to get tired of holding their son._

_That didn't seem a possibility until they saw the expression on grandma's face change. _

_Slowly, she got up from the couch and carefully handed Andres to Naya._

_As soon as Andres was back in Naya's arms, she immediately knew what was wrong. _

_The brunette narrowed her eyes at her grandmother. _

"_How come you could have him when he's all clean but you give him back to us when he needs diaper-changing?" Naya raised her eyebrow at her grandmother. _

"_I'm a busy person. I've got things to do." Maria seemed to be in a rush to get out of the living room. _

"_Oh, I'm sure. Like watching soap operas." Naya rolled her eyes. _

_Heather laughed._

"_It's okay grandma. I can take care of Andres. Now I know where Naya got her diaper-phobia from." The blonde took her son from Naya and proceeded to their bedroom upstairs. _

"_What? I don't have diaper-phobia." Naya followed after her wife and son. _

"_Well, you sure as hell run faster than the Flash whenever Andres pees or poops." The blonde writer teased. _

_Naya blushed. Upon reaching the door to their bedroom, she opened the door for her family and entered after them. _

"_I'm just not good with diapers." She tried to reason. _

"_Uh-huh. Or you're just purposely avoiding diaper duties." Heather pulled the newly-installed changing table in their bathroom and placed Andres down. _

_Naya picked up a diaper from the huge stack in a nearby closet and handed it to Heather. _

_Andres kept mumbling, trying to speak as his mommy cleaned him and changed his diapers. He kept laughing at his mama who was playing peek-a-boo with him. _

_Naya encouraged her son to speak, mouthing 'mommy' and 'mama'. _

_When Heather was done with diaper-changing, she tickled her son by nuzzling his neck. And just as he was laughing, he squealed his first word._

_Andres' first word was 'mommy'. _

Before leaving the room, Naya kissed her son on the forehead.

Their bedroom was dark and quiet and their bed was empty when Naya entered. From where she stood, she saw the faint light coming from the bathroom and knew immediately where Heather was.

"Honey, I'm home." Naya softly called. She placed her purse on top of the vanity table and took her shoes and jacket off.

"In the bath, babe."

Naya followed the muffled voice and was surprised to find her wife in the tub late at night. Heather beckoned her to join. Feeling the need for a hot bath, and with the tempting fact that her naked wife was already there, Naya stripped off every piece of her clothing.

"Can you do that slower and with music?" Blue eyes raked up and down Naya's body.

Naya chuckled.

"You're about to give birth and you're still very horny?" Naya took the remaining steps towards the tub.

"You can't really blame someone who has a wife that looks like you." Heather made a room for Naya behind her.

Naya carefully got into the tub and positioned herself behind her wife in whatever comfortable position the small space would allow. When Naya was set, she motioned for Heather to lean back against her.

Heather's back molded perfectly against Naya's front. The actress reveled at the feeling of being this close and intimate with her wife. A week was a very long time and she missed Heather a lot.

Naya wrapped her arms around Heather's side, and her hands rested on top of the blonde's swollen belly. She rested her chin on top of Heather's left shoulder.

"How's your day?" The actress asked, leaving a kiss on Heather's shoulder blade.

"Exhausting."

"Should I blame Andres or your pregnancy?"

"How about both?"

Naya let out a small chuckle. She then started placing featherlight kisses on the side of Heather's neck.

"Hmm…" Heather hummed. "How's the movie going?"

"Great actually, but I didn't enjoy filming that much. I couldn't wait to get home to you." Naya gently bit on the side of her wife's neck, eliciting a moan. Naya grinned. Her tongue shot out and licked that particular part of skin, causing Heather to moan even louder.

All the while, Naya's hands were gently caressing her wife's belly.

There was a kick, and then she felt a continuous movement on Heather's belly.

"Oh my god, she's moving. Sofia is moving, babe. Is she like, dancing?" Naya beamed.

"Yeah, she'd been doing that a lot today." The blonde smiled.

Heather grabbed one of Naya's hands and held it close to her heart.

"I was watching our wedding video this morning."

"The real one?" Naya asked, referring to their second wedding when everything became all real for them.

Heather nodded.

"You looked so beautiful." Heather leaned her head back on Naya, while Naya held her tight.

"Not as beautiful as you." Naya kissed Heather on her left cheek and then on her lips.

_Their real wedding was everything Naya dreamed of and more. _

_It was a beach wedding at the Montage Laguna Beach. _

_Nickie was still Naya's 'bestwoman'. Britt, Meg and Vanessa were still her bridesmaids. _

_Jenna was still Heather's maid of honor. But this time, Ashley was also there. _

_Naya was still the one that stood waiting for Heather. Technically, it was their first wedding and Naya didn't want to be the one walking. She wanted to see Heather walking to her._

_Dianna turned down being part of Naya's entourage so she could sing their wedding song with Lea. Hazel eyes searched for brown ones as the designer sang the first lyrics to the song. _

I was a girl who always played around in love

So quick to take but so afraid to give enough

But now I've found the one

And heaven will only know

What only my eyes can say

And time can't take away

_Naya smiled at her bestfriend and mouthed a 'thank you'. _

_Just then, she saw Heather._

_Then Lea started singing her part. _

I was a girl, who trusted no one with my heart

And the dreams that young girls dream

Were just vanishing in the dark

But now I've found the one

And heaven will only know

What only my eyes can say

They say

_Dianna and Lea looked at each other, and began their duet. _

That I will take you forever

And there will never be anyone else in my heart but you

And I will take you forever

And there will never be anyone else but you

Anyone else but you

_For the second time, Naya cried when she saw Heather on her wedding dress. Dr. Rivera walked next to Heather, looking proudly at her daughter who was bawling her eyes out at the altar. _

Now my heart belongs to you

And I will always be your bestfriend

Now my secrets are safe with you

And the magic will never end

Now you are the one

And heaven will only know

What only our eyes can say

They say

_It was indeed a magical night. At the reception, Naya and Heather made sure to make the most of their first real dance as a real married couple. And when they were asked to dance with other people, they never took their eyes off each other. _

_When Naya was dancing with her brother and Heather was dancing with her father-in-law, their eyes immediately searched for their respective other half. _

_At the same time, they mouthed 'I love you' to each other. _

"How's Dianna?" Heather asked curiously. Since that day she finally confessed her feelings for Naya, they had been great friends. She felt a little bit guilty everytime she thought of how jealous she previously was of the designer, but she tried making up for it by being a great friend to Dianna as well.

"I haven't heard from her for a while. I think she's still in New York." Naya answered.

"Is she dating anyone?"

"I have no idea. Just a few flings, I heard." As Naya thought about it, she realized that Dianna never really had a long-time relationship for a while. She heard she was going out on dates, but no one exclusive.

"She's spending too much time with Lea, don't you think?"

Naya quirked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen press and paparazzi photos. They looked cute together."

Naya snorted.

"You don't agree?" Heather asked curiously.

"I do, it's just they're not together, you know. Lea's bi but Di is so straight."

"You're still sure of that?"

Naya turned an amused look at her wife.

"You think there's something going on there?"

"Have you even seen how touchy-feely they were being in those pictures?"

"Di's always touchy-feely." Naya chuckled.

"You're her bestfriend, but she was never like that with you."

"Well, I'm married, and I'm sure she didn't want to give you any wrong ideas."

"Was she touchy-feely with you before we were married?" Heather investigated. She was just genuinely curious. She felt that there was something that was going on, she just wasn't sure what it was. If her suspicions are true then, she'd be happy because Dianna deserved someone who could make her happy.

That suddenly got Naya thinking.

And then it suddenly hit her like a truck.

Dianna had always been more touchy-feely with Lea than her.

And she was Dianna's bestfriend.

Naya shrugged and went back to the task of caressing Heather's swollen belly and kissing her neck.

"You're right. They looked cute together." Naya smiled as her lips indulged in the soft skin of her wife's smooth neck. "But can we not ruin our mood by talking about them?"

The brunette's hands traveled from Heather's belly up to her breasts. Naya sensually caressed and kneaded her wife's breast as she continued nipping on her neck.

"Honey, you've got to stop doing that because you're turning me on." Heather breathed out and winced upon feeling the pain that had been repeating for an hour now. She ignored it at first, thinking it was just a passing pain since it was too early for her to go on labor.

"And that's a bad thing because…?"

"Because I think I'm on labor."

"What?" Naya's eyes widened and she pulled back to look at Heather's face that was now contorting in pain.

"On second thought, I'm sure I am on labor." Heather grimaced, gripping tightly on her wife's hands for support.

Naya hissed as her wife almost pulverized her fingers with the way she was clutching to them.

"Mom!" The brunette rushed to get out of the tub. She ran back to the bedroom and snatched some clothes for Heather and jumped into her underwear, sweatpants and Heather's t-shirt, not bothering with a bra.

She ran back to the bathroom and helped her wife out of the tub.

"MOM!" Naya screamed her lungs out.

She was helping her wife get into a large maternity dress when Yolanda came rushing into the bedroom, looking disheveled after being woken from sleep.

"Naya, what are you screaming about? You're going to wake up your son and do you know how hard it is to-" Yolanda turned into the bathroom and found the couple looking frantic.

"Hemo's on labor!" Naya helped her wife shuffle out of the bathroom.

Yolanda's mouth dropped open in realization.

"Can you call dad? We're coming in!" Naya rushed to grab their bags and out of the room with Heather and the key to Heather's car. It would be easier to get her into the Subaru than the Range Rover.

"Oh! Okay, I'm calling your father now." Yolanda then grabbed the wireless phone on Naya's bedside table and dialed her husband's number.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Naya didn't realize how long she had been standing outside of the neonatal unit, watching her daughter through the glass window. Not like she cared. She could stand there and look at her daughter all day.

She wouldn't say strange, but she was more surprised that both their children were taking more after Heather than her. Granted, it was her eggs that were fertilized by the sperm from their donor and Heather was the one who carried them, still, she couldn't help but stare in awe. Even their newborn baby girl had blonde hair, fair skin, and Naya was guessing, blue eyes. Except for the nose and lips, it seemed Sofia inherited nothing of Naya's physical characteristics. Just like Andres.

No, she wasn't complaining.

Naya was absolutely proud.

"She's beautiful." Harry said. He had arrived early that morning as soon as Jenna told her that Heather had already given birth to their second child.

"Just like her mommy." Naya's eyes watered.

"What are you naming her?" The dancer turned to the proud mother.

"Sofia. Her name is Sofia." The brunette wiped the tears the fell that ran freely down to her cheeks.

Harry offered her his handkerchief and Naya gratefully accepted.

There was that feeling again; the feeling as if her heart was going to burst because of happiness.

"It fits her."

Pause.

"Harry?"

He chuckled.

"I think this is the first time you didn't call me 'Junior'."

Naya laughed.

"Thank you."

Thinking that Naya was thanking him for being there, he smiled.

"What are friends for? I figured you'd need some company and Jenna agreed to stay home with Asher, so-"

If it wasn't for Harry and Jenna, for their crazy idea of selling Heather's house, she wouldn't have bought it. She wouldn't have gotten to know her wife and wouldn't have married her. She would have been still confused about her feelings for her bestfriend Dianna. She wouldn't have Andres and now, Sofia.

As crazy as it sounds, Harry and Jenna saved her life.

They brought Heather into her life.

She couldn't be more thankful.

"Hemo is waiving her rights to the dance studio."

Naya, for the first time, turned her eyes away from Sofia. She spun around to face Harry, just in time to catch the look of astonishment on his face.

"We've talked about it and I agreed. The studio is all yours now." She smiled at the dancer.

"What?" Harry asked in disbelief.

Naya chuckled.

"Andres alone is already a handful." She feigned protest.

"Tell me about it." Harry said.

There was no doubt that Andres got his mischievous antics from her mama Naya. His son Asher, was shy and a little bit older than Andres. They became fast friends though, despite the difference in age and their personalities. With Andres' influence, Asher was becoming a bit more extroverted and while Harry appreciated this, sometimes, those two together were just too much to handle. And he had a lot of handling to do especially when Andres was being dropped by their house for a playdate or when Naya and Heather couldn't find a babysitter.

"And now we have Sofia. Hemo is absolutely enjoying motherhood and while she'd always love dancing, family comes first and foremost. She'd still be dancing if not filming shorts in the future, so please keep that option open for her. But now, the studio is all yours. You don't owe her anything anymore."

"Wow, uhm, I don't know what to say."

"A thank you would be fine."

Harry still couldn't believe what he just heard. They still hadn't paid Heather the amount that they owed her for selling her house as they promised, and now, they didn't have to pay anything.

He gave Naya a short, awkward hug.

"Why are you doing this?" Harry asked after he pulled back.

"It was Hemo's idea, and I thought it's a brilliant one. I'd have more time with her, and you can be in control with your business."

"Thank you."

"No. Thank _you._"

That's when the sound of little footsteps made both their heads turn. Two-year old Addicus Andres Morris-Rivera waddled towards Naya and jumped into his mama's arms, his brunette hair straying in front of his blue eyes glimmering with excitement. Naya tucked his unruly hair at the back of his ear and gave her son a lingering kiss on his forehead before looking up at her own mother, who was walking towards her with a smile.

"Hi mom." The actress then turned her attention back to the cute toddler in her arms.

Andres' arms were gripping tightly at the back of his mama's neck.

"Hey, isn't it too early for you to be awake, sweetie?" Naya pulled back so she could look at her son.

"But am missing mama." His eyebrows contorted the same way his mama's did.

Harry chuckled at the uncanny similarity. He excused himself and headed back to the hospital cafeteria for coffee.

"I miss you too." Naya smiled. She playfully nuzzled Andres' neck, tickling the child in the process. Andres giggled uncontrollably.

His giggles, on the other hand, was as melodious as his mommy's.

"He heard your voice last night. I told him I'd bring him later, but he threw a fit and broke grandma's favorite vase." Yolanda informed her, looking amused.

"What?" Naya's eyes widened. "Andres, did you break grandma's vase?" It was hard to sound convincing as she chastised her son but it needed to be done. She didn't want Andres to grow up thinking he'd get everything he wanted.

Andres buried his face on Naya's neck.

Naya couldn't help but smile.

"Did you say sorry?"

She felt him nod against her neck.

"How's grandma taking it?" Naya asked her mother.

"Very well, actually. You know she couldn't resist Andres' pout." Yolanda smiled. She rumpled her grandson's hair as Andres pulled back from his mama's neck.

"I know, right? He got that from Hemo. It's the Morris' secret weapon, apparently. And this snuggle-bug right here already knows exactly how to use it." Naya rubbed her nose against her son's, causing Andres to snicker again.

Naya noticed her son staring at the babies from the window. He looked so curious.

"Andres?"

"Hmm?"

"That's your little sister, sweetie." Naya pointed to her daughter sleeping peacefully in her crib.

Andres beamed. He tried to reach out, but his small little hands just hit the thick glass separating them from the newest Morris-Rivera family member. His eyebrows contorted in confusion. He tried to reach out again and when the glass panel got in his way for the second time, he full-on scowled.

Yolanda chuckled. While her grandson's physical characteristics were more coming from Heather's, the scowl was perfectly Naya's.

"Sofi?" Andres asked.

"Sofia." Naya corrected her son.

"Sofia?" Andres repeated.

"Yup. Do you want to meet her?"

"Excited!" Andres' lit up at his mother's question.

The adults chuckled at Andres' enthusiasm.

"She's sleeping right now though. How about we ask them to bring your sister to mommy's room when she's awake so you can give her a kiss? Does that sound okay?"

"Okay, mama."

"Let's go visit mommy. I'm sure she misses you a lot." Naya kissed her son on his head again.

"I miss her too!"

Naya gave her daughter one last proud glance before walking back to her wife's room with Andres in her arms.

About two hours later, Heather woke up to see her wife sleeping on the couch with Andres sleeping on his stomach on top of his mama.

Despite of feeling like she'd been hit by a truck, Heather couldn't help but smile. She tried searching for her iPhone to take their photo but it wasn't on the bedside table. They probably had forgotten to pick it up in their haste to get to the hospital.

She sighed in disappointment. When would she catch another moment like that to capture?

The door then opened and her parents-in-law came in. That was when she saw the little bundle in her father-in-law's arms. Yolanda and grandma followed him behind with huge smiles on their faces. Naya was woken up by the footsteps and the sudden presence in the room.

Naya locked eyes with her wife and smiled. She woke her son.

"Wake up, snuggle bug. Your little sister is here." The brunette whispered to Andres.

Without further waking up needed, Andres' squinted his blue eyes and his eyes widened with glee upon seeing all of his grandmothers and grandfather in the same room. Naya brought him to his mommy's bedside. Dr. Rivera handed Sofia to Heather.

Both Naya and Heather started crying.

Andres was looking curiously at his parents and then shifted his attention to the little baby in his mommy's arms.

"Sweetie, this is your sister, Sofia Solenn Morris-Rivera." Naya said to Andres.

"Hello, Sofia." Andres reached to hold his sister's tiny hand. His parents chuckled at the effort.

Naya wiped her wife's tears and kissed her on her forehead. She leaned down and kissed Sofia on her head. Andres followed, mimicking his mama's actions.

Without them realizing it, Dr. Rivera took their first ever family photo.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

It felt just like yesterday.

It had been an incredible journey from the first day they met to the present day. Whenever they reminisce together, all the good and the bad things said and done, both Heather and Naya found it hard to believe how long they'd come.

When Heather said yes to Naya, for real, Naya was the happiest person alive.

When Andres and Sofia came to their life, they didn't need anything more.

They were settled.

They had everything that they could ask for.

That's what Naya was thinking as she stood by the pool carrying Sofia in her arms and watching her son Andres with his Uncle Telly in the pool. It was the seventh month since her daughter was born, and they threw a pool party in their house for a small number of their close friends. It was also a sort of moving away party.

Naya was singing a song to her baby girl when Heather walked back out from inside the house in her black two-piece. She shamelessly stared at her wife who was unbelievably back to her shape after months of dancing. It was Heather's way of working out and it worked quite well.

"Honey, Kevin's here!" Heather yelled from the other side of the pool.

Naya nodded and looked around. Dianna was nearest.

"Baby girl, can you hold my baby girl for a bit? I just need to talk to bee." Naya grinned at her bestfriend.

Dianna chuckled and got up from the edge of the pool.

"Hey little princess, Auntie Di's going to take care of you for a while, alright?" Naya said to Sofia who just gurgled in return.

Naya handed her baby over to her bestfriend and walked around to the other side of the pool, passing by Cory and Darren who were cooking the barbecues, and then Britt, Meg and her wife who were sunbathing. Ashley, Vanessa, Chris, Jenna, Harry with Asher and Telly with Andres were teaching the kids to swim on the pool. Lea had joined Dianna in taking care of Sofia.

"Hi bee!" Naya welcomed her agent/friend. She handed him a bottle of Corona.

"Thanks bee."

"Glad you made it."

"Thanks for inviting me."

"You need to relax sometimes. Where's Amber?"

"Out of town. I guess I was just in time, huh?" Kevin took his shirt off, leaving him in his board shorts. He sat on the edge of the pool and waved at Naya's childhood friends that he'd gotten to know over the years.

Naya sat beside him.

"So, you're really moving?"

"That's the plan."

"Have you thought about what I told you?"

Since she'd told Kevin about their move to a bigger house in a gated community in Orange County, he'd been trying to convince her to sell their Eagle Rock property. Naya refused him outright but the agent was persistent.

"I told you bee, we're not selling."

"But you're moving. What are you gonna do with this house? It's just going to go to waste if no one's going to live here." Kevin said.

"Bee, nothing can change our mind. We're going to keep the house." Naya's eyes flickered momentarily at the direction of her wife who was chatting with Meg.

Then she continued.

"Hemo's dad built it, and I've got so many good memories in here. It's part of our bargain. Neither of us wanted to alter the house and make it bigger, so we decided to move to a bigger one to give more room for the kids. But just because we're moving doesn't mean we're never going back here. We'd probably be here every weekend. We have friends here, and Hemo wants to keep dancing at the studio whenever she finds time. And Andres is bestfriends with Asher, so..."

"Fine, but if you change your mind, call me. Someone's really willing to pay big bucks for this precious little house of yours."

"You know it's not about the money."

A few hours and tons of bottles of Corona later, Darren, Cory and Ashley were a tad tipsy. Britt was starting to talk too much, and the rest handled their alcohol better.

Naya had taken out her camera and had been taking pictures, most of her children and her wife. Sofia was already on her crib on the far side of the pool area with Andres, Dianna and Lea.

One particular shot of her children got Naya smiling widely.

"What are you smiling about?"

Naya heard her wife calling at her attention, purposely sounding flirty. She turned around and started clicking photos of her wife, who was still on the sun lounger. After a few more shots, she walked towards Heather and straddled her.

"Our cute little kids. And what are _you_ thinking about?" Naya placed her camera down on the grass. As soon as her hands were free, she wrapped her arms around Heather's shoulders and rested at the back of the blonde's neck.

"You." Heather replied with a smirk. She wrapped her own arms around Naya's waist.

"Well, that's funny because I'm thinking about you too." Naya leaned down and captured her wife's lips for a short kiss.

"I'm going to miss this house, you know." The blonde suddenly turned serious, letting nostalgia hit her as her eyes roamed her surroundings.

"I know." Naya whispered against Heather's lips, her fingers playing with the strands of blonde hair.

"We've got so many memories here."

Naya pulled back a little so she could look straight into her wife's eyes.

"And I'll never forget them. But our family's getting bigger. We're starting anew and we can create new memories with our children."

"Aren't they awesome?" Heather's eyes turned her eyes away from Naya to their children who were giggling as Dianna and Lea teamed up on making them laugh.

Naya's eyes followed her wife's gaze and arched an eyebrow at the rapport between Dianna and Lea that she ignored before. When she looked back at Heather, the blonde had that 'I told you so' look on her face.

Naya just laughed.

"What can I say? They have awesome parents." The actress said.

Heather smiled.

"Most especially their mommy."

Naya brushed Hemo's hair away from her face.

"You're amazing, you know that?" Naya pressed her forehead against Heather's.

"Trust me, I know."

Naya chuckled.

"I love you so much, Hemo."

"I love you more, Naya."

"Hmm, impossible."

"And why is that?"

"Because I love you times infinity and more." Naya placed a short kiss on Heather's lips.

"Wow, aren't we lame?"

They stayed like that on the sun lounger, not caring about their friends seeing since they were probably so used to them by now. There were times when they even made out in front of them when they couldn't control themselves.

"Hey Naya! Are you trying to get your wife pregnant again?" Darren called out from the pool.

"Shut up, Darren!" Naya glared playfully at her friend who just laughed.

She heard him high-fiving with Cory and she just had to roll her eyes.

_Men._

"Although, that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Naya joked as she whispered in her wife's ear. "What do you think about the name Anton Ambrus?" She pulled back again, enough to see Heather's reaction.

"Whoah slow down, tiger. We've only discussed Andres and Sofia, babe. Don't get way over your head here. It's hard enough chasing after Andres. Sofia's going to reach that stage soon and now, you want to add a third?"

"I was kidding." Naya grinned.

Heather pondered for a moment before speaking again.

"Maybe in the future. When Andres is like, already in college or something." Heather said as she brushed the hair that dangled on her wife's face.

Naya chuckled.

"I hope we're not menopause by then."

Feeling the need to go to the bathroom, Hemo attempted to get Naya off of her but Naya stopped her.

"No, don't let go yet. I've been away too long and I missed you so much, honey. Just let me hold you a little longer." Naya wrapped her arms tighter around her wife and buried her face in blonde locks.

At last, the Batwoman and Justice League franchise were over which meant she didn't have to be gone for weeks, sometimes months, filming blockbuster movies.

Smiling, Heather mimicked Naya's actions and tightened her hold on her wife.

"You can hold me as long as you want, sweetheart."

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Heather had just strapped their kids in the backseat of the Range Rover when she found Naya standing in their front lawn with a few pieces of paper in her hands. They were moving that day. Their new house in the O.C. was ready and they even had clothes there. They packed only a few important personal things that they'd need. Harry and Jenna agreed to drive the Subaru on another day.

"Is that what I think it is?" Heather asked as she approached the brunette.

"Yup." Naya pulled out a lighter and began burning the paper.

It was the first draft of their contract that they'd completely forgotten about.

Heather wrapped her arms around Naya's waist and stood behind her wife, watching as the papers burned. Naya only let go of the papers when all the text were burned and the fire was about to reach her hand.

"You're never getting out of this marriage, ever." Naya smiled at her wife.

"Good. Because I _never_ wanted out." Heather kissed the top of Naya's head and headed to the Range Rover.

When Naya followed on got on the driver's seat of the car, she noticed her wife staring at her, a suspicious look on her face. Like she had just realized something.

"What?" The actress asked.

"I told you not to smoke again. You know I don't like tasting the nicotine when I kiss you." Heather suddenly had suspicion that Naya had snuck in a smoke earlier that morning.

Naya frowned.

"But I didn't smoke. I've stopped for a long time, you know that, sweetheart."

"Then why do you still have a lighter?" Heather narrowed her eyes at her wife.

"I can't just throw this away. And it comes in handy sometimes. Like when I had to burn that contract. And that time when we threw that pool party, Lea needed to smoke and she didn't bring any lighter."

Heather didn't look like she believed Naya. The brunette rolled her eyes.

"Well, there's only one way to find out if I'm telling the truth, right? Kiss me." Naya dared.

Without hesitation, Heather grabbed the back of Naya's neck and kissed her.

And she tasted like heaven.

Naya felt Heather smiling into the kiss and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Mama!"

The couple reluctantly pulled apart and turned their eyes to their son who was squirming in the backseat.

"I'mma pee!"

Naya chuckled.

"You're a pee?" She joked.

Andres was stretching the seatbelt as he continued squirming, his face contorting.

"Mommy, bathroom!"

Heather chuckled when her son called out to her after Naya tried to joke with him.

"Well, maybe you should get our son to the bathroom before something happens that stops us from going again." Naya told Heather.

"Fate is telling us to stay."

"No, honey. Fate is telling us not to forget where WE began." Naya countered.

It wasn't easy leaving the house where the two of them fell in love.

On their first night at their enormous new house in the O.C., Andres didn't want to sleep alone.

Heather and Naya were curled up on their bed. Heather had her arms wrapped around her wife, holding her close to her, while Naya nuzzled her wife's neck. That was when Andres came running into their room, jumping into their bed. He got in the middle of his parents, forcing them to pull away to give space for him.

Heather smiled at her son and brushed his dark locks away from his face.

"Hey snuggle bug, what are you doing here?" Naya asked.

The pleading pair of blues looked up at his mama.

"I can't sleep."

"Did you try that thing Auntie Nickie taught you? Counting sheeps?" Heather asked. Andres nodded.

"It didn't work mommy."

"You need to sleep kiddo." Heather said.

"Can I sleep here, mama?" Andres pouted.

And with that, Naya was a goner.

Heather and Naya exchanged looks.

Naya looked frustrated.

Heather looked amused.

Naya let out a deep sigh.

"Of course, sweetie." Naya nodded.

Heather got up to get their little princess from her room and when she got back, she set Sofia next to Andres, both in the middle of them.

With the children in between them, they'd have to postpone their plans on christening their new bedroom to another night.

"Love you Mama. Love you Mommy. And I love you, Sofia." Andres kissed his sister and closed his eyes.

"Goodnight, Andres. Mama and mommy love you and Sofia soooooo much." Heather and Naya kissed their children on top of their heads.

Heather and Naya lay quietly, waiting for their children to fall asleep. With the kids in-between them now peacefully sleeping, Naya and Heather just lay there, staring at each other. They intertwined their hands. Then they leaned in for a short kiss.

"I love you, Hemo." Naya whispered against her wife's lips.

"I love you, Naya."

And then they slept together, as a family, in their new home for the first time.

In Tuesday's With Morrie, Mitch Albom said:

Life is a series of pulls back and forth... A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. Most of us live somewhere in the middle. A wrestling match... Which side win? Love wins.

Love always wins.

**THE END**


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